Yesterday, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers would be parting ways after a 16-year partnership. Rivers has been the backbone of that franchise for a long time although it's clear the two would be better off apart. At 38 years old, Rivers still has some gas left in the tank and will be entering free agency where he hopes to become a starter for a contending team.

In a recent interview, Rivers spoke on how much longer he hopes to play. Unsurprisingly, Rivers only wants to play for a few more years as he realizes his play will continue to decline. Regardless, he hopes to play well enough to earn himself a second season with whichever team he signs to.

This past weekend, the XFL had its very first full slate of games and so far, the league has shown a ton of promise. Despite most of the games being blowouts, we were able to see some high-level football that will certainly keep our palets cleansed between now and April. Some think Spring football doesn't work but the XFL is trying to feed you a different narrative and so far, it's working. Fans are already excited for next week and in all honesty, so are we.

One XFL team is starting off their season with an unexpected bang. After losing to the Houston Roughnecks by a score of 37-17 on Saturday, the Los Angeles Wildcats have fired their defensive coordinator, Pepper Johnson. As you can imagine, the news came as a bit of a shock but the team's general manager, Winston Moss, offered an explanation.

Heading into March, Tom Brady will be in a position he's never had to deal with before. The six-time Super Bowl-champion is about to become a free agent for the first time in his entire career. The New England Patriots and Tom Brady have been married for 20 years now and they have come together for one of the best dynasties in the history of sports. Brady is on the decline but at 42 years old, some teams feel like he is still good enough to help their team go out and win a championship. Meanwhile, if the Patriots do let Brady walk, it will be difficult to find a suitable replacement. 

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Patriots' reasoning for letting Tom Brady go to free agency was simple. They want Brady and head coach Bill Belichick to take their time deciding if it would make sense to continue their relationship. Belichick is very particular about his personnel and if he doesn't feel like Brady is good enough anymore, he could say goodbye in swift fashion.

Philip Rivers was a fixture of the Los Angeles Chargers for many years. When the team was in San Diego, there were various seasons where the team had a chance to go far in the playoffs and most of this was thanks to the Rivers' play. Now, Rivers is 38 years old and is nearing retirement. His statistics have been in decline over the last little while and it was becoming clear that the Chargers wanted to go in a different direction, albeit in a respectful way.

For the last few weeks, there have been rumblings that the Chargers and Rivers would be parting ways and today, those reports became a reality. In a statement on Twitter, the Chargers revealed that Rivers would be heading to free agency.

Heading into the first weekend of the XFL, football fans were skeptical about whether or not the league would deliver on its promise for great football in the spring. So far, the league has brought forth some great ideas and fans are excited to see how the league will play out over the next 11 weeks. The XFL has real potential and it seems like the NFL has a thing or two it can learn from the new venture.

One thing that’s missing from the league, however, is star power. Of course, this is to be expected considering the NFL has all of the premium talents. Some people felt as though the league should have gotten Colin Kaepernick. In a recent interview, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck spoke about Kaepernick and how his demands were something the league couldn’t match.

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“We gave it some thought,” Luck said according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “We have some pretty significant salary restrictions, you know. We’re a start-up league, so we want to make sure that we can be fiscally responsible and fiscally prudent. And the salary requirements that some folks shared with us were in our case exorbitant, so we couldn’t go down that path. . . . We spoke with his representative, and the salary requirements that were broached in that conversation were exorbitant and certainly out of our range.”

For now, Kaepernick’s career remains in question although perhaps the league will expand to a point where they can afford high profile players like Kap. Either way, the XFL is offering an interesting alternative to the NFL and we can’t wait to watch more games.

Cam Newton was considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, just a few years ago. Unfortunately, injuries have hurt Newton’s career and his team has been struggling to reach the postseason. It’s clear Newton is working hard to get back in the league although unfortunately, his efforts are met with even more injuries. This offseason, newton is trying to get back into the best shape imaginable and he has been making strides in the gym.

In his latest Instagram post, Newton quoted J. Cole while talking about his haters. Newton is taking a motivational approach here and it’s clear that he’s working very hard to be at peak physical condition. In fact, Newton went on to say that he plans to make 2020 one of the best years ever.

“Killas been countin me out, I’m countin my bullets, I’m loading my clips, I’m writing down names, i’m makin a list, I’, checkin it twice and I’m gettin em hit,” Newton wrote, quoting J. Cole. “Dear 2020, I want everything 2019 tried to take from me.”

It remains to be seen if Newton stays with the Panthers next season although he’s been adamant about returning to the franchise that drafted him. Hopefully, Newton can get over these injury issues and get back to being the quarterback we know him to be.

Odell Beckham Jr.has joined the club of those paying homage to the late Kobe Bryant in ink. 

The wide receiver most recently took to social media to unveil a large tattoo of the Black Mamba, adding onto a list that already includes LeBron James, Shareef O’Neal and Thony Davis among others. The artwork in question is in the form of a portrait designed by artist Joaquin Ganga Lopez on Beckham’s torso.

“He shows you that talent can get you as far as talent can get you, but there’s no substitute for hard work, the dedication that he had to the game. And I think that was really his legacy,” he recently told Complex following Bryant’s death. “You know, broken fingers, Achilles, knee, whatever it is, he always overcame it all and he’s always going to find a way to win. […] So just that mentality that he had was always to kill, and that’s something that I definitely have in me, and now even more so with what was going on. So definitely inspired even more to do some great things like he did, and the legacy that he left is something that we all can be appreciative of.”

Dak Prescott led one of the best offenses in the NFL last year, despite his Dallas Cowboys not making the playoffs. Thanks to his efforts out on the field, Prescott is expected to get a huge payday that will certainly flip the league on its head. For now, there are talks that Prescott could be franchise tagged if contract negotiations aren’t resolved soon. Meanwhile, it appears as though he is looking to be paid like Russell Wilson who makes $35 million per year.

In a recent report, it was revealed that the Cowboys offered Prescott $33 million per year, earlier in the season. Eventually, he upped his asking price and negotiations stalled. Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones says the Cowboys are hoping to pay Prescott like a top 5 QB in the league.

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Per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The two sides came close to deal in September on a contract that would have paid him roughly $33 million annually, sources said, before talks broke down when Prescott upped his asking price.

“I don’t want to get into the details, but we have offered him significant money,” Jones said. “The money we have offered Dak no matter how you look at it would put him as a top five quarterback in the NFL. That is the way we feel about him. He is one of the best.”

NFL free agency is about to go down next month so stay tuned for updates as we will be sure to bring them to you.

Heading into this offseason, New England Patriots legend Tom Brady will be in a position he's never truly felt before. Of course, we're talking about how he is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career. The Patriots are one of the greatest dynasties we have ever seen and Brady is a huge part of that. Head coach Bill Belichick and Brady have been one of the most formidable duos in sports history and it could all come crashing down in March.

There have been various rumors that Brady doesn't want to come back and is looking elsewhere. Meanwhile, some sources say both sides are doing everything possible to reunite for next season. During an appearance on WEEI, Tom Curran NBC Sports said it wouldn't be hard for Belichick to say goodbye if he has to.

Dez Bryant has been out of the league for a couple of seasons now but that hasn’t stopped him from training and trying to get himself right. Comebacks are never easy but Bryant has stated he’s interested in returning to the league and making an impact. He was one of the best receivers in the league a few years ago and would certainly make the Cowboys a better team, offensively.

Bryant has been quite clear as to which teams he would like to play with and as you can imagine, the Cowboys are a part of that group. In a recent interview, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said he’s been in contact with Bryant who has expressed an interest in coming back to the lone star state. 

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“He has texted me that he would like to come back,” Jones said per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. “We have nothing but great respect for Dez and what he accomplished here. Certainly, as we look forward into the future we look at all opportunities and all potential players that could maybe help us out.”

Would you like to see Bryant back in a Cowboys jersey? If not, which team do you think he would be best suited for?