As I wrote for Fox Sports Radio New Jersey, 2024 was a year to remember.
It was a wild and woolly year, one
that had both joy, sadness, and well misery all rolled into ball, and,
you known what — sports-wise — we wouldn’t want to have it any other
way.
From the Mets riding a the wave of Grimace and OMG all the way to the
NLCS, to the Yankees return to the Fall Classic for the first time in
15 years, and of course the New York Liberty winning their first ever
WNBA Finals title, there was a lot to smile about in 2024.
Then there are the Jets and Giants. Woof.
Click the link here to check out our BOLDEST, and I mean BOLDEST predictions for the New Year possible.
The New York Jets are about to embark on their long awaited search for the 22nd Head Coach in franchise history, and by all indications, the Jets could be looking for a guy with experience.
Multiple reports confirmed Monday that the Jets are set to interview ex-Panthers and Washington Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera for the job.
Rivera hasn't coached in over a year since his departure from Washington following a 4-13 campaign in 2023.
Nicknamed "Riverboat Ron" for his willingness to think outside the box and take risks in-game, Rivera is an interesting candidate. He was a Coach of the Year winner, and took the Panthers to the Super Bowl about a decade ago. He's been the playoffs multiple times, including one playoff stop with Washington in his first year with the team.
Yet, overall, Rivera is under .500 as a coach. 102-103-2 to be exact.
His teams in Carolina were loaded talent-wise. Washington was a different animal entirely as he tried to guide the franchise despite continued off-field issues surrounding former Commanders owner Dan Snyder.
Is Rivera a top choice? Probably not. Is he the right choice? Not likely, but that doesn't mean it isn't an interesting pursuit to see the Jets consider him.
Now as for Rex Ryan, the former Jets Head Coach has wanted back in for a while. He's been campaigning for the job openly on ESPN since October.
On the Jake Asman Show on ESPN NY, Rex stated that he believes he will interview for his old job rather soon. Should the Jets go down this road?
It's not unusual for teams to saddle up again with their former Head Coach. Joe Gibbs went back to Washington after more than a decade away in 2004. But he never again came close to duplicating the Super Bowl efforts he had previously with the then-Redskins. Instead Washington under Gibbs in the mid 00s made the playoffs only twice, and were knocked out each time.
Bringing back Rex Ryan and all of his bluster is a risky move. While one can applaud Ryan for being the one true candidate who wants to coach here, and has a passion for the franchise, going all in on round two of Rex Ryan in today's game just seems inconceivable.
While it's a start, figure the Jets are going to search long and hard for the next coach of this franchise.
It's the question Giants fans have been asking since Sunday's 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts, did Big Blue botch its chances of getting the top quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft.
No doubt the easiest route to securing that so-called "franchise QB" out of the draft is to have that top first overall pick in the draft, but as we all know, it generally doesn't guarantee anything.
Sure Sheduer Sanders and Cam Ward are both very talented players, but let's not act like the 2025 draft class at the quarterback position is like the 1983 draft class, or the 2004 draft class, or even the 2018 draft class.
There is no John Elway here. No Dan Marino. No Eli Manning. No Big Ben, and no Josh Allen.
And when you look at the teams around the Giants, like the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans there are no guarantees that any of these teams will select a quarterback in the draft. Meaning that there is a chance that either Sanders or Ward could drop to the Giants.
Of course if Big Blue doesn't want to play the waiting game, they don't have to, they could always trade up, a risky gamble, but that is out there.
So sure, winning on Sunday hurt the Giants chances of landing the first overall pick, but it won't stop this franchise - no matter who is running it -- from selecting the next "franchise QB."
2024 was not a banner year for the Jets or Giants, and as a result both teams are facing a crossroads as 2025 begins. Here is our vlog on what we can expect from the Jets coaching search to the Giants decisions on the front office and quarterback.
What a gift for New York Mets fans just two days before Christmas.
With the New York Yankees making one more after another in recent weeks
since Juan Soto left the Bombers for the Amazin’s, many Mets’ fans have
been wondering when their team would strike again.
Well, they did in the wee-hours of Monday morning as the Mets and Manaea agreed to a three-year, $75 million deal.
Bringing back Manaea was a no-brainer for the Mets. They took a flyer
on him last season, and he turned out to be the staff ace of the club
by season’s end. Manaea finished 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. In
the postseason Manaea made four starts, winning two of them.
One thing is certain about Aaron Rodgers and the Jets they are the biggest conundrum in sports.
The Jets thoroughly outplayed the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, didn’t punt once, and still found a way to lose the game by ten points, 19-9.
It was a comedy of errors that we have grown accustomed to from Gang
Green all year. The kind of ‘Charlie Brown has the football pulled away
from him’ kinda game Jets fans have seen for years.
There the Jets were marching down the length of the field, 99 yards
in fact, on a crisp and efficient drive that culminated in a Rodgers
touchdown strike to his buddy Davante Adams. 6-0 Gang Green.
Then the bottom fell out. The Jets decided to get too bold with their
strategy, going for it on fourth and a long four at their own 33, only
to see it back-fire. The Rams eventually tied the game with Kyren
Williams’s score.
The Jets never learned from that lesson, going for it on fourth and long four more times, and failing when it mattered most.
Perhaps the most egregious came in the third quarter when Rodgers had
a wide-open Garret Wilson in the flat on a fourth and four at the Rams
12, but decided to go for his 500th career touchdown pass by forcing a
back-shoulder fade to Davante Adams. The ball was knocked away
incomplete.
Afterward, a disgruntled Wilson complained about not getting enough
opportunities, saying that some people look at it “differently.”
It’s no secret Wilson is upset. Rumors already started last week that he seeks a trade in the off-season.
So the game leaves one question Jets fans? Do you really want Aaron
Rodgers back next year? Sure he looks healthy and still shows the same
zip he once had on the football. But considering all the drama around
him, including Sunday’s loss, is it worth it?
We’ll see. One thing is certain – something that is never true in
Jets-land — Gang Green is apparently a “desirable” place for coach and
GM candidates according to multiple reports despite the Woody Johnson
bombshell last week. Stay tuned.
Ok, Giants fans, we know how you feel. This season has been a total train wreck. Big Blue is 2-13 following a
no-show 34-7 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. Fans are swarming social media,
and even flying planes over MetLife Stadium calling for the ouster of
Head Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen.
But if there is one silver lining in this miserable season it is this: right now the Giants own the top pick in the NFL draft.
That is because the Raiders (3-12) beat the Jaguars (3-12) on Sunday.
The Panthers (4-11) also won in OT over Arizona. So the Giants are all
alone atop the draft.
Congratulations!
Granted there are still two games left in this season, and anything
can happen, but for those who are on the infamous “tank” bandwagon, this
is a day to crack a smile (potentially) at what could be coming in the
future.
It is expected that the Giants will draft a quarterback (they really
have no choice) with their first pick in April’s draft, and many expect
either Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward would be that
pick.
The Giants, if they finish with the first pick, will have all the
time in the world to decide which signal caller fits them the best.
You can cross the Yankees off the list for former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.
The Bronx Bombers came to terms on a one-year, $12.5 million deal that will solidify the Yankees need at the position for at least a year.
In his prime, Goldschmidt was one of the best hitters in baseball. Up until the past two seasons, Goldschmidt was a consist .290 to .300 hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the past two years since his NL MVP campaign in 2022, his numbers have dipped a bit.
He hit only 22 homers, and drove in 65 while hitting .245 last season for St. Louis at age 37.
What will it be this year? Perhaps the Yankees could platoon Goldschmidt with one of their younger players like Ben Rice. But at the very least, the Yankees added an experienced piece to a roster that looks even better than it did in the World Series.
Since losing out on Juan Soto the Yankees have been busy. They added: outfielder Cody Bellinger, closer Devin Williams, starter Max Fried, re-signed Jonathan Loaisiga, and acquired former Reds reliever Frenando Cruz in a deal for Jose Trevino.
And they still got money to spend, whether it be now or in July when they inch closer to the trade deadline.
Call it a win for Brian Cashman and company. They have been both prudent and economical in their approach.
As for Alonso, will he now head back to the Mets? The market for the former Amazin' slugger isn't very lucrative, and the Mets are still weighing their options with Alonso and another free agent, infielder Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros.
Since signing Soto, the Mets have been very, very quiet; perhaps even patient. We'll see if this move on Goldschmidt has a trickle down effect.
An interesting story has been brewing for a while that former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel could be interested in taking the Jets head coaching job.
Colin Cowherd on his show spoke with NFL insider Jordan Schultz about it, and claims that Vrabel would take it depending on the GM. Both Schultz and Cowherd put ice water on the Athletic bombshell story about team dysfunction.
"I spoke with Mike Vrabel, he would take the job depending on who the General Manager is," Cowherd said.
Schultz agreed, adding the Jets have been somewhat stable as compared to other franchises when it comes to giving coaches and GM's time to work with. Ex-GM Joe Douglas got six years. ex-Jets Head Coach got three-plus seasons.
Still this story really isn't new. It was first reported by Rich Cimini of ESPN back on December 4 that Vrabel would be interested in the Jets job depending on who the GM is. So is this really new that Cowherd is presenting to us?
Could Vrabel's opinion have changed since the Athletic story came out? Those are questions only those involved can answer.
The bottom line is, the Jets need leadership and the Athletic article does not help the Jets at all. Any reasonable candidate for the Jets GM or Head Coach job should have serious questions or reservations before agreeing to join this franchise after this story came out.
As the Jets season is about to come to an end, and their search for a
new General Manager and Head Coach is about to intensify, The Athletic has dropped another bombshell bringing new, disturbing allegations about the inner workings of Gang Green under owner Woody Johnson.
The article paints a bleak picture of the Jets under Johnson, who
allegedly gets too involved in the football business, and has been at
odds with coaches, executives, and even players.
The article further claims that Johnson reneged on a trade with the
Denver Broncos for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because of the star
receiver’s perceived “Madden rating,” among many other mind-boggling
decisions within the confines of 1 Jets Drive.
The article further purports that Johnson involved his two teenage
sons, Brick and Jack in football matters., which “clarified their
father’s propensity for sharing posts from X.” In addition, Johnson’s
call on the Jeudy trade may have been influenced by his son’s gameplay
on Madden.
“Another example came when Johnson pushed back on signing
free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster “awareness” rating in
Madden. The Jets signed Simpson anyway, and he has had a solid season.”
To be fair, the article references a Jets source that says the boys have no role in the organization.
Moreover, the New York Post's Brian Costello has refuted this part of the story, saying that his sources tell him the Broncos are the ones who nixed the deal.
More disturbingly, the Johnson’s have gone into the Jets locker room and berated players.
” .. Brick and Jack have brought friends — male and female — into
the locker room, and current and former players and coaches told The
Athletic that Woody Johnson, his wife, Suzanne Ircha Johnson, and his
sons criticized players inside the locker room.“
Leave it to Bill Belihick to be the ultimate troll on his way out the door when it comes to the New York Jets.
Multiple reports have reported Saturday, starting with Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that representatives for the ex-Patriots head coach had reached out to the Jets to express interest in the Jets vacant head coaching position.
"A very small circle of people in the Jets building were made aware of his interest, though no meeting of formal conversation ever happened because the UNC opportunity popped up."
It's amazing how this now comes out a mere couple days after Belichick was introduced as head coach at the University of North Carolina.
This is not a dig at Russini, or any other reporter who has reported on this. They all got the information from a reliable source for sure.
From all indications it is true that Belichick and his team reached out. UStadium even tweeted out that Belichick "reached out to multiple teams, even those without openings, to gauge interest."
In sort, Belichick, who is apparently short on friends in the NFL was desperately looking for an NFL job before committing to UNC. He found no takers. This was the problem for him last off-season when the Falcons and owner Arthur Blank balked on hiring Belichick because the front office in Atlanta was not keen on his hiring.
The Falcons opted for Raheem Morris instead.
There were also reports at the time that Patriots owner Robert Kraft was bad mouthing Belichick behind the coaches back, by warning Blank and the Falcons not to hire Belichick. Belichick is known as a control freak, and likes to do things his way. His way got stale around 2018 when the Patriots run was slowly coming to an end. Once Tom Brady left ahead of the 2020 season for Tampa, the bottom fell out for Belichick's Patriots.
The fact that the Jets get named specifically in this report feels to us like Belichick doing his last gasp troll job on the team he hates the most: the Jets.
We all know about how Belichick was in line to become the Jets head coach back in the year 2000, but resigned a day later on a napkin. Two weeks later he became the Patriots head coach. Over a year later in 2001, in a game against the Jets, he had lady luck fall in his lap when Tom Brady came in for an injured Drew Bledsoe. The rest is history (or infamy if you are Gang Green).
Since ending his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick has taken pot shots at the Jets and owner Woody Johnson while serving as a commentator on various networks including ESPN.
“That’s kind of what it’s been like with the Jets,” Belichick said after Rober Saleh was fired by the Jets in October.
“Barely won over 30 percent (of games) in the last 10 years. The owner,
being the owner. Just ready, fire, aim.”
Yeah, it's hard to believe that after all these years, all the acrimony, Belichick would really want to coach in New York for the Jets.
If anything he wanted to get a raise out of Jets fans who would inevitably target their ire at Johnson.
No skin off his nose. Belichick gets to do it his way again, now in the college game.
The Yankees are not resting on their laurels in the post Juan Soto world. Ever since the Yanks lost out on Soto to the New York Mets, they have been red hot in pursuit of roster improvements.
The latest came Friday afternoon when the Yankees acquired Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams in a package deal that sent Nestor Cortes and minor league prospect Caleb Durbin to the Brew Crew.
The Yankees desperately need a closer. Last season Clay Holmes lost the job to Luke Weaver at midseason. While Weaver was great at times, the truth was, somehow, the Yankees managed to get to the Fall Classic without a true shutdown ace in the ninth inning.
They will have that now in Williams who owns a 1.83 career ERA and 68 saves. He was also the man that served up Pete Alonso's three-run homer in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series between the Mets and Brewers that sent New York on its merry way to the NLDS.
It is a risky gamble for the Yankees. Williams is a free agent after the 2025 season. So unless the two sides hammer out a long term deal -- if there is mutual interest to do so -- the 2025 season will be the ultimate litmus test for Williams to see how he can drive up his value at the age of 30.
Should be interesting. A solid pick up for the Yankees.
Bill Belichick has sent a shock-wave through the football world, as he becomes the new Head Coach at the University of North Carolina.
The shock comes from the fact that Belichick will not jump back into the NFL after spending a year away from the game; instead he will jump into the ever increasingly complex world of College Football.
This should be interesting.
About a year ago at this time we saw Belichick get rejected by the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy. It was a stunner. Before Atlanta made its final decision, it appeared that Belichick was destined for the Falcons after meeting with Arthur Blank, but the front office had other ideas. They convinced Blank to look elsewhere.
The problem was the Falcons front office knew that if Belichick came aboard, they would all be looking over their shoulder. When a team hires Bill Belichick, they get all of Bill Belichick: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
"... The Falcons realized that if you hire Bill Belichick, you hire
all of him, an entire philosophy and ethos stemming from one man’s ethic
and ingenuity," ESPN reported.
"In the end, his assurances failed
to persuade Blank and team executives. 'He was essentially voted off
the island,' a source close to the Falcons’ hiring process said.
"ESPN
also mentioned that Belichick's former colleague, Patriots owner Robert
Kraft, gave a "stark assessment of Belichick's character," which also
led to the Falcons passing on the legendary coach."
So, perhaps, Belichick seeing that today's NFL is not interested in having a hands on coach in the building, felt that the only way back to the game was through college.
It won't be easy though. While he won't have to deal with overzealous owners, a General Manager on a power trip, and multi-million dollar players; in college he will have to answer to the Athletic Director, the boosters, and now with the NIL, he'll have to deal with players who are dipping their toes into the free agent game. College players now have agents. They are getting paid. It's not what it used to be as players transfer from college program to college program regularly now.
There is no question Belichick knows how to navigate free agency, and the off-season, but this will be an amazing watch.
Belichick gave a pretty good indication as to why he was taking the job, when he described on the Pat McAfee Show that he would run the UNC program as gateway to the NFL for players. If that isn't a selling point, I don't know what is. Belichick's plan sounds like he would turn the college program into an NFL developmental program, and internship.
What a start for kids!
And with the way college sports are leaning more and more into the tendancies of pro sports, hiring Belichick makes a lot of sense for North Carolina.
While he won't hit Don Shula's wins record, perhaps this is a more satisfying conclusion to Belichick's career. After nearly 50-years in the NFL, he finally had a chance to step back and think things over. Now he gets to mold a program his way, and do so at one of most prestigious college sports schools in the country.
Two days after striking out on Juan Soto, the Yankees responded by finding someone to rack up K's in former Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried.
The 31-year old Fried, inked an eight-year, $218 million deal with New York, making him the highest paid left-handed starter in baseball history.
The deal includes a full no trade clause, and no deferred money.
While a starter wasn't exactly on the top of their needs for the 2025 season, we all know a team can never have enough pitching. Fried is as solid as they come, and was sought after by many clubs. With the Yankees he can slide right into the number two slot behind ace Gerrit Cole.
Fried is well accomplished in his career; a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. Since 2020, he has posted the lowest ERA among pitchers with 500 innings to their name with a 2.18 ERA.
The Yankees are far from done of course.
They are heavily linked to Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is about the same age as Soto, and has produced similar numbers. He would also come at a lower price tag in a sign and trade with Houston.
The New York Mets have won the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
The news became official just before 10 p.m. Sunday as New York Post columnist Jon Heyman broke the story that Soto, the games' most prized free agent slugger, had signed a record setting 15-year, $756 million contract with the Mets.
While that comes to $51 million annually, the contract will include plenty of deferrals, obviously. The terms of the deal at this moment are still not fully known.
What is obvious is that Mets owner Steve Cohen did something that no prior Mets ownership group could do and that is beat the Yankees to the punch. He was willing to go all in for the best player on the market and got him.
There was speculation as last as Saturday that the Mets and Yankees were competing for Soto with the Mets at $735 million, and the Yankees at $710 million. But according to the Post, the Yankees did come in at $760 million over 16 years, which more than doubled the money the Yankees gave Aaron Judge now two off-seasons ago, but it was not enough to reel Soto back to the Bronx.
He took the extra five million from Uncle Steve.
Talk about a rivalry.
This move is going to change the dynamics of both the Mets, the Yankees and baseball. For starters, it means a lot of free agents are going to circle the Mets as a possible destination, especially if Cohen is willing to go all in to bring them in.
Second, with the Mets willing and able to flex their muscle - even in this economy -- the Yankees take a huge hit. Now they have to compete not only on the field with a team as financially viable as they are, but one that can beat them to the punch.
This is the shift Mets fans had been dreaming of for years, especially after Cohen bought the team from the frugal Wilpon's.
The Mets are big time players now. After last season's miraculous postseason run, plus rave reviews from players about the team culture and atmosphere, the Mets are going to be a hot destination.
Now the Mets have to still do their part come the season and win games. The expectation now is World Series or bust. You don't make a move like this and not expect the expectations to change.
Soto has a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals, and single-handedly carried the Yankees to the World Series with his series clinching blast over Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALCS.
The challenge will be for David Stearns and company to fill out the roster under the constraints of their budget.
The Mets desperately need pitching, and already took risky gambles signing Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes as starters.
Then there is the future of Pete Alonso. Where will he go? Will he stay with the Mets, or will he leave. There hasn't been much traction reported between the two sides. A lot of people believe Alonso has played his last day in a Mets uniform. And if that is the case, it's a sad day, because Alonso was such a valuable piece to this team. And a clutch one at that.
The Mets are going to miss Alonso's presence not only in the batting order, but in the clubhouse.
As for the Yankees they have a chance to do the funniest thing ever. Sign Alonso to spite the Mets.
The Aaron Rodgers era in New York needs to come to an end.
There is no doubt that Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer; one of the most gifted athletes of his generation. He will go down as one of the best to ever do it in the regular season. His arm talent was second to none, except for maybe Dan Marino or Brett Favre in the primes of their careers.
But with the Jets, it has been an all time disaster.
Aaron Rodgers looks for help. Getty Images
Sunday's 26-21 Jets loss to the Seattle Seahawks only furthered the evidence that Rodgers marriage with the Jets has to come to an end. Rodgers was inconsistent, and threw a horrible pick-six that flipped the game totally on its head.
The Jets had a chance to go up 28-7, but Rodgers threw a pass that ex-Jet defensive lineman Leonard Williams tipped into the air and picked off before rumbling down field for the six-points to make it 21-13 instead.
It was all Seattle after that.
The Jets never got close to the end zone again the rest of the afternoon.
The loss follows two more weeks of turmoil. In the aftermath of Joe Douglas' firing, a report by the Athletic detailed the drama within One Jets Drive, including an apparent rift between Jets owner Woody Johnson and Rodgers, and that there was a good chance both sides would go their separate ways.
Rodgers denied those claims on the Pat McAfee show on November 26, but Sunday's game coupled with a corroborating story by Ian Rapoport in the wee hours of Sunday morning confirmed that Rodgers time in Green and White is ticking away.
It's time for a change. It's time to wave good bye to one of the biggest failed era's in Jets history.
%20Dianna%20Russini%20(@DMRussini)%20_%20X.png)
%20_%20X.png)
