Bears
When appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, USC QB Lincoln Riley refuted rumors about QB Caleb Williams being disinterested in playing for the Bears.
“I think it’s a total smokescreen,” Riley said, via BearsWire. “I think it’s people playing the game. Like knowing Caleb, location-wise, I don’t think he cares one bit about where he’s at. All of these franchises are in really good cities. There’s advantages to anywhere that you could go. He wants to win. He wants to be a guy that’s playing [in the Super Bowl]. I think for him, it’s less about location and it’s more about getting in the right situation where he can continue to develop and do the things that he needs to do to help a franchise be successful.”
Riley reiterated there isn’t “any truth” to Williams not wanting to be drafted by Chicago at No. 1 overall.
“That’s it. He’s got a one-track mind that way. No, I don’t think there’s any truth to that all. The guy wants to win. He’s a competitor. He’d love to go first overall. Who wouldn’t? But at the end of the day, it’s about winning for him and nothing else.”
Lions
Lions QB Hendon Hooker missed his rookie season rehabbing an injury and is now excited to have the opportunity to do just more than watch. He plans to work on his game now that he has had the chance to spend a season observing.
“I’ve grown a lot, grown an awful lot,” Hooker said, via the team website. “Just from coming in not knowing what to expect, especially with my knee and rehabbing that and not knowing when I would be 100 percent. To actually being 100 percent and continuing to learn the playbook while not taking physical reps, which is a little awkward. But being able to be with Teddy and Jared and ask them questions they never hesitated to help me.”
“It gave me an opportunity to get my feet wet and see what real action looked like,” Hooker added. “Especially in a competitive situation. Sometimes I’d be thrown into red zone or sometimes I’d be thrown into third down. It’s a blessing to be out there and be able to command the huddle. Direct guys and give guys accurate balls so they can be playmakers. I don’t think I’ve been more excited to go into an offseason before in my life. But really I’m just excited to go work on my craft and polish these little details that I really want to embark on this offseason.”
Packers
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy will formally retire in July 2025 when he turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for the position as required by organizational by-laws. Packers executive committee vice president and lead director, Susan Finco is chairperson for the search committee of the Packers Board of Directors and spoke about the upcoming search process for a new CEO.
“Mark’s contributions to the organization have been tremendous,” Finco said, via the team website. “From updating the corporate leadership structure to growing and diversifying revenue to increasing the meaningful impact of the Packers in the community, Mark continues to position the Packers for success. We look forward to his insightful leadership in the next year and a half.”
Korn Ferry, a highly regarded national search firm led by Jed Hughes will help head the search, as they previously identified Murphy as the recommended candidate to succeed Bob Harlan in 2007.
“We have a long and positive history with the Green Bay Packers and are pleased to be working with the search committee to identify their next leader of this unique and storied franchise,” Hughes said. “We take pride in having more than 50 years of experience working with the NFL and its teams. Our search committee takes this responsibility very seriously as our new leader will shape the Packers’ future.”
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
