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Good morning! We made it, kind of: NFL football is technically here today. And thus, so is Jacob Robinson, author of our excellent (and free!) Scoop City newsletter:
Keep An Eye On … : Our All-Hype Team 🏆
The NFL season is almost here, and it might ruin everything. Just as fans in Chicago and New York settle into the comfort of optimism and your favorite 49ers running back returns healthy, the preseason arrives to spoil the party. I couldn’t be more excited.
Tonight, the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions kick off the 2025 preseason with the Hall of Fame game at 8 p.m. ET. Before reality exposes our offseason heroes, I’ve compiled my first annual All-Hype Team, which is based on a proprietary formula of meaningless highlights and tangible opportunities. Some big names on the first-team offense:
Head coach: Ben Johnson, Bears. The vibes are great in Chicago, where it’s been Johnson’s show since the former Lions OC agreed to join the Bears on a contract reportedly worth $13 million per year. With his offense slowly making strides and his staff — which includes former Saints head coach Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator — continuing to win over the players and fan base, is this the most optimistic Bears fans have felt since … last preseason?
Quarterback: J.J. McCarthy, Vikings. Surrounded by one of the league’s most talented rosters, the 22-year-old has everything a first-year starter could ask for: a world-class play caller in head coach Kevin O’Connell, a stout offensive line, talented skill position players and sole control of the starting role. His progress was Minnesota’s biggest question heading into training camp, and he’s checked most boxes since.
Running back: Omarion Hampton, Chargers. I was skeptical of the North Carolina rookie’s opportunity level in 2025, as he was set to compete with Najee Harris, the league’s only running back who has played every regular-season game since 2021. But a freak fireworks accident sidelined Harris indefinitely, and now Hampton is gaining valuable first-team reps. It’s hard to overstate his upside in the league’s most run-heavy offense, but a Saquon Barkley-like rookie season is on the table. See for yourself, as the Chargers’ first-round pick will make his debut tonight in the Hall of Fame game.
Sidebar for the best offseason moment: Jim Harbaugh in awe of his quarterback, Justin Herbert.
Receiver: Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers. Few rookies draw such universal praise as the Ohio State product, who is “an absolute stud,” according to his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, and “going to be an unbelievable playmaker,” per fellow receiver Mike Evans. Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard also had glowing praise for the 22-year-old rookie. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner even compared Egbuka to the Chargers’ Ladd McConkey, who set franchise records in his rookie season. Sheesh.
Tight end: Kyle Pitts, Falcons. Positive sentiment toward Pitts always ages like milk. Yet here I am again, allowing one training camp highlight of the 24-year-old to make me declare he is in the best shape since his rookie season, when he had 1,026 receiving yards. Our Falcons beat reporter Josh Kendall examined whether Pitts can be trusted for your fantasy team. Wish me luck.
We’ve got plenty more preseason standouts in today’s edition of Scoop City, which you can subscribe to here.
News to Know
ESPN cuts ties with Sharpe
Pro Football Hall of Famer and media analyst Shannon Sharpe is out at ESPN less than two weeks after he settled a lawsuit in which his ex-girlfriend accused him of rape, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported yesterday. Sharpe, 57, has not been on ESPN since late April, when the suit was first filed. More details here.
MLB trade deadline heats up
More news
- Former Stanford football coach Troy Taylor filed a defamation lawsuit against ESPN and one of its reporters over a March investigative story that led to his dismissal.
- Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani exited his start against the Reds in the fourth inning last night due to cramping, but remained in the game at DH.
- Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and five others were arrested yesterday in Los Angeles and accused of illegally hosting high-stakes poker games at his California home. Read more.
- French swimming star Léon Marchand crushed American Ryan Lochte’s 14-year-old 200-meter IM world record yesterday at the world championships, going 1:52.69 — 1.31 seconds better than the previous mark.
- The Magic will play the Grizzlies in Berlin and London next season. The NBA also said it will hold regular-season games in Manchester, England, and Paris in 2027, and in Berlin and Paris in 2028.
What to Watch
📺 WNBA: Valkyries vs. Mystics
7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Golden State remains on the playoff cusp (current No. 9 seed) after edging out Atlanta two nights ago, and here, the Valkyries take on the current 8-seed and attempt to get back to .500. Can they build some momentum?
📺 NFL: Chargers vs. Lions
8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
As mentioned above, this is the preseason opener in Canton, Ohio. We’re so back.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Jayna Bardahl has a great feature out today on the making of the “NFL Top 100,” the league’s annual player-driven poll, and our complicated relationship with it. Entertaining.
Zack Meisel and Yuriko Schumacher explored which MLB teams are trading pals (or foes) in this informative piece with excellent interactive data visualizations.
Five years on, Joe Vardon compiled an oral history of the NBA’s pandemic bubble, with reflections from players, coaches, executives and journalists who were there with him.
Allowing MLB to institute a salary cap would be an insult to Curt Flood’s legacy, as Ian O’Connor writes.
A couple of new, exciting soccer hires joined us at The Athletic this week: former U.S. men’s national team forward Charlie Davies, who’ll be an expert contributor, and senior writer Henry Bushnell.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Evan Drellich and Matt Gelb’s report on the aftermath of Bryce Harper’s confrontation with Rob Manfred.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The news of ESPN parting with Shannon Sharpe.
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(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images
