NFL overreactions from the first week of minicamp, plus stadium drama and an interview with Barry Sanders

Saquon Barkley made some headlines this offseason when he said he might pull a Barry Sanders and abruptly retire at some point in the near future. Well, Bryan DeArdo got a chance to ask Sanders about those comments recently, and the Hall of Famer has a message for Barkley: Don’t retire. 

• Sanders’ message to Saquon. “You should stick around for a little while. As a fan, I’m enjoying watching him play. I still see him as still being very young. I’m excited with what he’s been able to do in Philadelphia, and really, just his journey. He was written off by the Giants, and to see the kind of year he had last year, I know he still has a lot of great years left in him.”
• When players contemplate early retirement, the feeling usually goes away, according to Sanders. “Sometimes, players feel that [way], and once they get into camp and into the season, they feel different,” Sanders said. “Philadelphia feels like a great place, a great home for him, so hopefully it’s just sort of a temporary thing that he’s experiencing, that he’ll continue to enjoy the success there with that great team that they’ve assembled.”

Barkley later backtracked on his retirement comments, so it doesn’t sound like he plans on pulling a Sanders. The Lions running back shockingly retired back in July 1999. You can read Sanders’ full comments about Barkley here. 

During his talk with DeArdo, Sanders also revealed that he had a serious health scare last year. 

• Sanders had a heart attack in June 2024. “I couldn’t believe it, honestly,” Sanders said of having a heart attack. The former Lions running back shared what the experience like in “The Making of a Heart Attack,” which premiered over the weekend on A&E. “I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted.” 
• Sanders said the health setback has actually helped him in the long run. “It’s definitely made me healthier and happier,” Sanders said. “Being the kind of athlete that I was, I would see people walking and I would wonder, like, ‘What kind of workout is that?’ But there’s a thing called a heart healthy workout, where you’re just getting your heart rate up a little bit over a certain period of time, and that’s just really good for your heart. There was just a certain ignorance that I had about things like that. But all of it has been a learning process.”

You can check out DeArdo’s full interview with Sanders here.   

4. Stadium news: Chiefs and Browns get closer to new stadiums, Bengals facing key deadline

With the dead part of the offseason coming up on us, there might not be much player news over the next few weeks, but there certainly could be some stadium news. 

Let’s take a look at the latest stadium news around the NFL: 

• Missouri governor signs financial package for Chiefs. With Kansas trying to steal the Chiefs, Missouri governor Mike Kehoe is doing his best to make sure the team doesn’t leave under his watch. Kehoe signed a financial package over the weekend that would allow his state to authorize bonds that would cover up to 50% of a new stadium or a stadium renovation. The only catch is that the stadium project would have to cost at least $500 million. The Chiefs have a lease to play at Arrowhead until 2031, and this new aid package from the state of Missouri should make it much easier for the Chiefs to stay in their home stadium for the foreseeable future. 
• Browns stadium project set to get $600 million from the state of Ohio. The Ohio senate passed a budget last week that has $600 million earmarked for the Browns’ new stadium project in northern Ohio. Instead of raising taxes, the state is taking the money from Ohio’s unclaimed funds. The senate’s proposed budget still has to survive the Ohio House of Representatives, and if that happens, then Governor Mike DeWine will have the option to officially sign off on it. The $600 million in state funds is a key part of the Browns’ $2.4 billion proposal for a domed stadium in Brook Park. 
• Bengals facing key deadline. The Bengals have been playing in Paycor Stadium since it opened in 2000, but the team’s lease at the building expires on June 30, 2026. The lease includes a total of five two-year extensions that can be exercised by the Bengals. The reason we’re talking about this now is because there’s a key deadline coming up. The team has just TWO WEEKS (June 30, 2025) to pick up the first of those five options. If the Bengals don’t pick up the first two-year option, then all five options will become void, which will set the stage for the entire lease to expire on June 30, 2026. The Bengals would then theoretically be free to leave Cincinnati following the 2025 season. If the deadline passes with no new deal, the Bengals could still agree to a new long-term lease with Hamilton County, but the two sides aren’t exactly on great terms right now. 
• Commanders new stadium not quite a done deal. The Commanders made a huge stadium announcement back in April, but the $3 billion project isn’t quite a done deal. The Washington D.C. city council still has to approve the plan, and that vote has to happen by July 15, but right now, there seems to be a small hold up. The council is considering voting on the stadium proposal separate from the city’s 2026 budget, which could push the timeline past July 15. As for the Commanders, they would prefer that proposed timeline stays on track. “We are prepared to work with the Council morning and night over the next six weeks to keep this stadium on schedule so we can deliver for D.C.’s future,” the team said in a statement to WTOP.com. If the council approves the proposal, then the Commanders’ new stadium could open as soon as 2030. 

As you can see, there will be plenty of stadium drama to keep us all entertained over the next few weeks.  

5. First-round picks who overcame bust status

One of the most intriguing quarterback battles happening in the NFL this year is in Indianapolis where Anthony Richardson is battling Daniel Jones for the Colts‘ starting job. Jones and Richardson are both former first-round picks who are on the verge of being labeled as draft busts. However, the player that wins Indy’s QB battle will have a chance to shed the bust label. 

With that in mind, Cody Benjamin decided to take a look at a few players who looked like they were going to be a bust before eventually reviving their career: 

• Jared Goff. “Goff lost all seven of the starts he made under Jeff Fisher as a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams, totaling more turnovers (9) than games played. Once Sean McVay arrived a year later, however, the California product quickly vaulted into the Pro Bowl conversation. Since then, he’s appeared in a Super Bowl, relocated to the Detroit Lions and led a separate NFC contender to the conference title game.”
• Baker Mayfield. “Mayfield endured two losing seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ starter from 2018-2019, then succumbed to injuries following a playoff bid and exited on not-so-pretty terms once the team went all in for Deshaun Watson. Bouncing between two other clubs as a backup seemed to confirm his mercurial hand. Then he recharged in Tampa, replacing Tom Brady with surprisingly explosive results.”

If you want to see Benjamin’s full list, you can check it out here. 

6. Extra points: Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals are talking again

This is always a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Bengals re-open talks with Trey Hendrickson. Over the past few months, contract negotiations between the Bengals and Hendrickson have gotten ugly, but the two sides appear ready to possibly patch things up. Hendrickson and the Bengals are back at the negotiating table, and we’ve got the full details here. 
• Tyreek Hill runs blazing fast 100-meter dash. The Dolphins receiver, who is still trying to race Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles, decided to go out and compete in a 100-meter race over the weekend and ran a blazing fast time. Hill went to California and won a race by finishing in 10.15 seconds, which is pretty impressive. We’ve got more details on his race here. 
• DC Defenders win UFL title. The 2025 UFL season is officially over. It ended on Saturday with the DC Defenders destroying the Michigan Panthers, 58-34. DC quarterback Jordan Ta’amu was voted MVP of the game after throwing for 390 yards and four touchdowns. 
• Cam Akers signs one-year deal with Saints. The veteran running back, who led the Rams in rushing back in 2020, is now headed to New Orleans after signing a one-year deal over the weekend. Akers played for both the Vikings and Texans during a 2024 season where he rushed for 444 yards. 

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Author: John Breech
June 16, 2025 | 1:05 pm

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