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Falcons to Play in Spain in 2026
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday that they are scheduled to play a regular-season game in Madrid, Spain, in 2026. The game against an unnamed opponent will be played at the Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid, and is part of a multi-year partnership with the city of Madrid and Comunidad de Madrid. It will be part of a record nine international games in the NFL this coming season. Atlanta was the road team against the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin, Germany, last season. This will be the league's second game in Madrid, with the Miami Dolphins playing the Washington Commanders at the Bernabeu last year. It is the sixth Falcons regular-season game internationally and the fifth in Europe. With a new front office and coaching staff in 2026, the Falcons will be looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017.
Source: Atlanta Falcons
Source: Atlanta Falcons
NFL Salary Cap Number for 2026 Season Raised to $301.2 Million Per Team
The National Football League informed its clubs in a memo on Friday that the salary cap number for the 2026 season is $301.2 million per team, which is up $22 million from last year. It's the first time in the history of the NFL that the salary cap has topped $300 million. The cap has increased 40% in just five years since it dropped coming off the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Teams must be under the new salary cap by March 11, which is the first day of the new league year. The biggest year-to-year increase in the salary cap was $31 million from 2023 to 2024. The wide receiver position is the second-most lucrative franchise tag at $27.3 million. Quarterback sits at $43.9 million.
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Jaguars to Host Two Games in London in 2026
The NFL announced on Wednesday that the Jacksonville Jaguars will host two games in London during the 2026 season, according to Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union. The Jaguars have played in London annually every year since 2013, except for 2020, but this will be the first time they've played two games there in one season. They will play one contest at Wembley Stadium and another at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against unnamed opponents. Jacksonville is expected to play back-to-back weeks in London in October. It will be the 15th time the Jags have played in London, with all but three games taking place at Wembley. They have gone 7-7, including going 2-1 at Tottenham. Jacksonville will be looking to build on a strong 2025 season that saw them finish first in the AFC South with a 13-4 regular-season record, only to fall to the Bills in the Wild-Card round of the postseason.
Source: The Florida Times-Union - Demetrius Harvey
Source: The Florida Times-Union - Demetrius Harvey
Commanders to Play in London in 2026
The Washington Commanders announced on Wednesday that they will have a regular-season game in London in 2026. The Commanders will be the host team at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against an unnamed opponent. It will be Washington's third international game. They lost to the Miami Dolphins in their last international game in Madrid, Spain, in 2025 and tied with the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium in London in 2016. The Commanders surprised everyone by making it to the NFC Championship in 2024 in quarterback Jayden Daniels' rookie season. Daniels struggled with injuries last year, though, and the team finished 5-12 and in third place in the NFC East to miss the postseason in 2025. Washington's game in London will be one of three that the NFL hosts there next season, with the Jacksonville Jaguars serving as the host team in the other two.
Source: Washington Commanders
Source: Washington Commanders
49ers Hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as Personnel Executive
The San Francisco 49ers hired former Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as a personnel executive on Tuesday, general manager John Lynch told The Athletic's Matt Barrows. Adofo-Mensah was surprisingly fired by the Vikings after the 2025 season after four years as the team's GM. Minnesota went 14-3 during the regular season with Sam Darnold as the quarterback in 2024, but they struggled last year as they handed over the keys to the offense to former first-rounder J.J. McCarthy. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl with Darnold. It will be a reunion for Adofo-Mensah, as he spent 2013 to 2019 with the 49ers in the football research and development department. It's a big pickup for a team that already has a championship-caliber front office in place.
Source: The Athletic - Matt Barrows
Source: The Athletic - Matt Barrows
Browns Add Dom Capers as Senior Defensive Assistant
The Cleveland Browns have hired long-time NFL coach Dom Capers as a senior defensive assistant, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The 75-year-old has been a head coach in the NFL twice, last with the Carolina Panthers. Capers will help assist first-time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, who is taking over for Jim Schwartz. Capers has been a senior defensive assistant since 2019 in the NFL, with his most recent job coming with the Panthers from 2024 to 2026. The Browns' defense is led by 2025 Defensive Player of the Year in pass-rusher Myles Garrett, who set the NFL record with 23 sacks in 17 games last year. They have the personnel to be one of the top defenses in the league again in 2026, even with a new defensive coordinator. The good news is the Browns were able to retain all of Schwartz's defensive assistants.
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Lions to Play in Germany in 2026
The Detroit Lions will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent in Munich, Germany, in 2026, according to NFL Deutschland. The 2026 NFL Munich game will be the sixth regular-season game that will be played in Germany. It will be the Lions' first time playing in Germany. The game will be played at the FC Bayern Munich Stadium and will mark Detroit's first international contest in over a decade. Their last international game was on Nov. 1, 2015, against the Kansas City Chiefs at London's Wembley Stadium. Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown's mother hails from Cologne, and he has been waiting for a return trip to Germany. The Lions will be looking to get back to the postseason in 2026 after finishing 9-8 and tied for fourth in the NFC North in 2025.
Source: NFL Deutschland
Source: NFL Deutschland
Cowboys Open to Trading a First-Round Pick
Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Monday that the team is open to trading one of their first-round picks in this year's NFL draft, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys have plenty of needs to fill, especially on the defensive side of the ball, going into the 2026 season, but they might prefer to trade back and acquire more draft picks if the price is right. After trading All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons before the start of the 2025 season, the Cowboys will have the No. 12 and 20 overall picks this April. "It's tough to predict. We're certainly open-minded to it. Always open-minded to trading," Jones said. "The right guy fits, the perfect fit, and we would certainly look at it and see if it worked in with what we're trying to get accomplished." Trading one or two first-rounders could be in play for Dallas if they could land Raiders All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby.
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Calvin Watkins
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Calvin Watkins
Patriots Promote Zak Kuhr to Full-Time Defensive Coordinator
The New England Patriots have promoted inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr as their full-time defensive coordinator, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Kuhr was hired as the team's inside linebackers coach last season, but he took over as the defensive play-caller in Week 2 after defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Williams was cleared to return last week, according to head coach Mike Vrabel, and he was elevated to a higher-ranking role on the coaching staff. The 37-year-old Kuhr drew rave reviews from Williams at Super Bowl LX, and the Patriots' defense was instrumental in helping them get to the big game. Coaching assistant Vinny DePalma is expected to take over Kuhr's former position as inside LBs coach. The Pats' defense allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (18.8) and eighth-fewest total yards per game (295.2) during the 2025 regular season.
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
49ers to Rack Up the Travel Miles in 2026
ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates report that the San Francisco 49ers will play a regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia, a home regular-season game in Mexico City, and have a schedule that includes two cross-country road games at the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants in 2026. The 49ers' opponent for the Mexico City game has yet to be announced, but they will square off against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in Australia. San Francisco was eliminated by the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to win Super Bowl LX, in the Divisional Round of the postseason in a 41-6 rout. It was an impressive feat for the Niners to even make it to the playoffs last season, considering all the key players who missed extensive time due to injuries for them. Led by head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers will be Super Bowl contenders going into 2026, although their schedule certainly won't do them any favors.
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter and Field Yates
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter and Field Yates
Browns Hire Mike Rutenberg as Their Defensive Coordinator
The Cleveland Browns are hiring Atlanta Falcons passing-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg as their new defensive coordinator on Monday, sources told the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Rutenberg will bring a lot of energy to Cleveland after previously working under Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich. He'll have big shoes to fill as he replaces former DC Jim Schwartz, who resigned after not being named the Browns' head coach. Rutenberg has a solid base to build around with Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett leading the charge on the defensive line, but it will also be his first gig as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Before coaching with the Falcons, Rutenberg coached with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and with the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024. The Falcons' defense ranked 13th in passing yards allowed and 13th in net yards per attempt last year under Rutenberg.
Source: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
Source: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
Browns Holding In-Person Interviews With Cory Undlin, Mike Rutenberg
The Cleveland Browns are conducting in-person interviews with the Houston Texans' Cory Undlin and the Atlanta Falcons' Mike Rutenberg for their defensive-coordinator position this weekend, a source told Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Head coach Todd Monken could name his defensive coordinator in the next day or two. Undlin is Houston's defensive passing-game coordinator and has worked with the team since 2023. Before that, he was the secondary coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and he was also the Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator in 2020. Rutenberg is the Falcons' pass-game coordinator. Before joining Atlanta in 2025, he worked under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for four seasons as the linebackers coach with the Jets. Cleveland is looking to replace Jim Schwartz, who resigned after he was not named the Browns' head coach.
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
Raiders Promote Rob Leonard to Defensive Coordinator
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to promote run-game coordinator/defensive-line coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday. Leonard, who has worked directly with disgruntled All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby, has been a D-line coach since 2023. The Raiders will also retain Joe Woods as defensive passing-game coordinator, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Vegas finished 25th in points allowed (25.4) and 14th in total yards allowed (317.8) under former DC Patrick Graham and head coach Pete Carroll, while opponents converted 46.3% of their third-down attempts. The Raiders were solid against the run, though, allowing 3.9 yards per carry, which ranked fourth-best in the NFL. Leonard spent a season as an outside linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 before joining the Raiders. He also coached for the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 and for the New York Giants from 2013 to 2018.
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Raiders Request to Interview Aubrey Pleasant for Defensive-Coordinator Job
The Las Vegas Raiders requested to interview Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and passing-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant for their defensive-coordinator job, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Raiders will interview Pleasant on Friday. In addition to the Raiders, Pleasant has interviewed for the same job with the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns this cycle. Pleasant joined the Rams in 2023 as their defensive backs coach before being promoted to assistant coach. He played safety at Wisconsin from 2005 to 2008 before getting into coaching. Before joining the Rams, Pleasant had coaching stints with the Browns, Commanders, Lions, and Packers. The Rams' defense finished in the top 10 in points allowed in 2025 and also ranked 12th in yards per attempt allowed under Pleasant.
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Cardinals Expected to Retain Defensive Coordinator Nick Rallis
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to retain defensive coordinator Nick Rallis under new head coach Mike LaFleur, sources told Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Rallis was the defensive coordinator under previous head coach Jonathan Gannon for the last three seasons, and he will remain in Arizona under LaFleur in 2026. The 32-year-old was the youngest DC in the NFL when he was hired by the Cardinals three seasons ago. Although Gannon shouldered most of the blame, the Cardinals had one of the worst defenses in the league under Callis in two of the last three years. Arizona's defense allowed the fourth-most points per game (28.7), the sixth-most total yards per game (357.7), the ninth-most passing yards per game (230.8), and the eighth-most rushing yards per game (126.9) under Callis during the regular season in 2025.
Source: CBS Sports - Matt Zenitz
Source: CBS Sports - Matt Zenitz
