“Miami won explosively without Jaylen Waddle, and with all wide receivers not named Tyreek Hill catching a total of four passes. This is a deep, deep team.” – Peter King on the Dolphins’ historic 70-20 win over the Broncos

“That Jacksonville team’s a top 10 team in the NFL, but we knew we could play with them…I’m not somebody a team can tee off on.” – Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud on Houston’s win over Jacksonville

“They’re 0-3 and Justin Fields might be hurt. This Bears team, again, looks like the favorite for the first pick in the 2024 draft.” – King on the struggling Bears

 STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 25, 2023 – Peter King speaks with Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and rookie running back De’Von Achane after their historic 70-20 win against the Broncos in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also speaks with Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and discusses the Cardinals’ win over the Cowboys, the Bears’ 0-3 start, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

DOLPHINS

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to King on kneeling down on the last series as opposed to attempting to break the NFL single-game scoring record: “It’s not the way you want to get the record. I would hope that if the shoe was on the other foot, the opponent would feel the same way. That’s called karma. I’m trying to keep good karma with the Miami Dolphins.”

King on the Dolphins’ pregame speech before their 70-20 win over the Broncos: “(McDaniel) had fullback Alec Ingold talk to the team before this game. Nothing (Knute) Rockne-ish was said, but the message was sent: I trust you guys.”

Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane on his 233-yard, four-touchdown performance: “Me having 200 yards in an NFL game, that’s a shock to me. But I think I showed the type of back I am.”

King on Miami’s roster moves: “Watching De’Von Achane run it for the Dolphins Sunday, I thought: Miami doesn’t have to trade for Jonathan Taylor. And the Dolphins shouldn’t. They should use their cap and draft capital elsewhere on a talent-rich roster.”

TEXANS

Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud on Houston’s win over Jacksonville: “We’re grown men. We’re NFL players. Why can’t we win any game we show up to play? That Jacksonville team’s a top 10 team in the NFL, but we knew we could play with them. I’m nobody’s fish. I’m not somebody a team can tee off on. I compete. We all compete. The way I look at it, all pressure is a privilege.”

Stroud on his development: “I think I just learn from week to week. A lot of the sacks and hits that happened last week were on me. I gotta get rid of the ball, get it out on time. This week, I think I fixed that issue.”

CARDINALS

King on Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs’ performance in the win over the Cowboys: “He looked like he’d been a Cardinal for years, not four weeks, against the formerly unbeatable-looking Cowboys. Arizona by 12. We all saw that coming.”

Dobbs on earning his first win as an NFL starting QB: “I’m actually more proud of the team and how we all played, not just me. We started fast, played complementary football…It’s Jonathan Gannon’s first win as a head coach, and Drew Petzing’s first win as an offensive coordinator, so a lot of firsts for a lot of people — they get to enjoy it the same as I do.”

PUKA NACUA & RAMS

King on Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua, who currently ranks in the top 10 in receiving yards: “When the Rams saw Nacua, I believe they thought they were seeing (Cooper) Kupp Jr. Both are 6-2 and weigh around 207. Both are highly competitive…It won’t be surprising if Nacua becomes Kupp II.”

Nacua on his chemistry with QB Matthew Stafford: “If he gives me a thumbs up, I feel really good. If he just gives me the quick nod, I did good enough.”

WEEK 3

King on Taylor Swift attending the Chiefs game: “Yes, T-Swift, jumping and cheering in a box with Donna Kelce, her heart evidently all a-flutter watching her rumored new beau Travis Kelce at Arrowhead. You Need to Calm Down, Taylor; it’s only September.”

King on Packers QB Jordan Love: “At least early in his career, Love has something in common with (Brett) Favre and (Aaron) Rodgers: they’ve all beaten the Bears, and they’ve been good (mostly) in crunch time when needed.”

King on the Bears: “They’re 0-3 and Justin Fields might be hurt. This Bears team, again, looks like the favorite for the first pick in the 2024 draft.”

King on Rams K Matt Gay: “Gay had the greatest day an NFL kicker’s ever had. Four field goals of 53 yards or longer, including the winning 53-yarder in OT for the first-place Indianapolis Colts of the AFC South.”

King on 49ers QB Brock Purdy: “It’s amazing to me, after he begins his career 11-0 in games he’s played at least three quarters, that there is this universal asterisk on his competence.”

KING’S WEEK 3 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Joshua Dobbs, Arizona, De’Von Achane, Miami, & Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

King on the Dolphins: “Addendum to one of the great individual days in Dolphins history: Miami won explosively without Jaylen Waddle, and with all wide receivers not named Tyreek Hill catching a total of four passes. This is a deep, deep team.”

Defensive Player of the Week: Myles Garrett, Cleveland

King on Garrett: “For the day, Garrett finished with 3.5 sacks and eight pressures, one of the great games of his ascending career.”

Coaches of the Week: Mike McDaniel, head coach, Miami, & DeMeco Ryans, head coach, Houston

King on McDaniel: “He’s invented the most explosive offense in the game over the first month of the season, and that included the kind of play most coaches might design in their dreams but not actually call in a game…No-look shovel pass in the tight red zone.”

Special Teams Players of the Week: Matt Gay, Indianapolis, Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans, & Will Anderson Jr., Houston

NEWS & NOTES

King on the Bears’ struggles: “The Bears look worse — at least early this year — than they did last year, when they had the $90-million dead-cap anchor weighing down the franchise. When you don’t have consistent quarterback play, and you can’t protect the quarterback who’s struggling to play consistently, you have no hope.”

King on 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s physical style of play: “I have no idea how long Deebo Samuel can last playing the physical style he plays…but I doubt he makes it through 17 games playing that way.”

King on USC QB Caleb Williams: “Would choosy Caleb Williams exit USC if his NFL fate lay in Chicago? It’ll take someone Fearless to turn this ship around.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“Micah Parsons is the closest thing I’ve seen to (Lawrence) Taylor in terms of being able to collapse the pocket with a bull-rush and turnstile a tackle with unblockable speed.” – Peter King on Cowboys LB Micah Parsons

“If Tua (Tagovailoa) plays 16 or 17 games, this team’s going to be a very tough out in the postseason. He drops passes into tight windows as pretty as any quarterback today.” – King on the Dolphins

“This is going to be a Willis Reed story. I don’t know if he’ll be as great with a sutured Achilles at 40 as he would have been with a pure one at 39. But Aaron Rodgers is not going out like this.” – King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

 STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 18, 2023 – Peter King discusses Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury and possible comeback this season, 2-0 starts by the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, and speaks with head coaches Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also ranks his Top 10 teams, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

KING’S WEEK 2 TOP 10 POWER RANKINGS

1.	Dallas	6	Baltimore
2.	San Francisco	7.	Buffalo
3.	Philadelphia	8.	Los Angeles Rams
4.	Miami	9.	Seattle
5.	Kansas City	T-10.	Detroit, Tampa Bay

 

King on Cowboys LB Micah Parsons: “I covered the Giants for four prime Lawrence Taylor seasons. Micah Parsons is the closest thing I’ve seen to Taylor in terms of being able to collapse the pocket with a bull-rush and turnstile a tackle with unblockable speed.”

King on the Eagles: “(This team) has the best 1-to-53 roster in football. What’s to worry about, other than holding off Dallas in the NFC East?”

King on the Dolphins: “If Tua (Tagovailoa) plays 16 or 17 games, this team’s going to be a very tough out in the postseason. He drops passes into tight windows as pretty as any quarterback today.”

King on the Rams: “I thought this was a rebuilding year for the McVays. But this is a tough, tough team.”

JETS & AARON RODGERS

King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers potentially making a return this season after tearing his Achilles in Week 1: “Rodgers and the medical professionals will not be ruled by emotion. If he’s cleared, it’ll be because the Achilles is fully healed and prepared for the stress of a football game. (Achilles surgeon Dr. Neal) ElAttrache’s reputation is if the patient is not fully ready, the doctor won’t succumb to pressure to clear him.”

King on Rodgers’ comeback: “He invested too much mental and physical effort, and he bought into the New York (and New Jersey) State of Mind. This is going to be a Willis Reed story. I don’t know if he’ll be as great with a sutured Achilles at 40 as he would have been with a pure one at 39. But Aaron Rodgers is not going out like this.”

King on Jets QB Zach Wilson: “I think the good sign for Zach Wilson is he’s playing less frenetically than he did last season – maybe due to the zen QB approach he saw in Aaron Rodgers…The Patriots come to New Jersey Sunday, and Wilson’s got to show better or the fans will lay it on him.”

SEAHAWKS

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to King on QB Geno Smith’s journey from backup to starter: “Geno’s the example I preach about to our players. He maintained a starter’s mentality throughout four years of sitting…But he never didn’t believe.”

Carroll: “I wound up telling the whole team about it because it’s the perfect illustration of how every backup should prepare – when you get in there, it’s not a shock to you. It’s not unexpected. We call it ‘G prep.’”

King on Seahawks QB Geno Smith: “Smith is every bit the player in his first 20 games that (Russell) Wilson was in his last 20 in Seattle.”

WEEK 2

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on going for it on fourth down with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, down 24-22: “As the game wore down, we felt that we weren’t out of anything in our playbook. When you have explosive players – whether it’s in the rushing attack or the passing attack, you try not to become obvious. It allowed us to stay in our normal offense and we felt good about it how we could attack the defense there.”

King on Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield leading the team to a 2-0 start: “Tampa Bay doesn’t have a quarterback of the future, and this spot is shaping up nicely for a guy who’d gotten beat up a lot in his last two seasons. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.”

King on the Broncos’ 0-2 start: “I think Sean Payton’s not going to make it comfortable for the Broncos in practice this week. Going 0-2 against the Raiders and Commanders, both at home, both winnable games, will fry Payton. And it should.”

King on the Ravens: “Baltimore’s not only 2-0, but 2-0 in the AFC, with a two-game edge (plus the tiebreaker) over the favorite to win the division, Cincinnati…This could be a brutal division, top to bottom, and this morning, Baltimore’s got the edge.”

KING’S WEEK 2 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay, & D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia

King on Mayfield: “Go figure, after stints with Cleveland, Carolina and the Rams over the past two years, that Mayfield would be the hottest quarterback in the league out of the gate in 2023.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Geno Stone, Baltimore, Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay, & Chris Jones, Kansas City

King on Jones’ impact on the Chiefs: “The Super Bowl champs, on their flight home, must have been thinking, ‘Man, wish we had you last week for the Detroit game.’”

Coach of the Week: Todd Bowles, head coach, Tampa Bay

Special Teams Player of the Week: Marvin Mims, Denver

NEWS & NOTES

King on the natural grass/artificial turf debate: “For the league to go all-grass, I’m convinced it has to be a collectively bargained issue, even though there is evidence that in non-contact injuries, grass is overall a safer surface. The owners won’t voluntarily go to all-grass.”

King on the fans’ reaction to Aaron Rodgers’ injury: “I feel awful for Jets fans, and for football fans who were all locked-in to see Rodgers with his first new team in 18 years. We’ve been robbed of a huge part of the human drama of athletic competition, and it’s a bummer.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“I’m telling you, this is the most mentally-tough dude that I’ve ever been around.” – Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on QB Tua Tagovailoa

“Watch the 30-7 win at Pittsburgh in the season-opener and tell me he wasn’t worth a five in 2024 and overall picks 61, 93 and 132 this year.” – King on the 49ers’ trade for RB Christian McCaffrey last season

“They’re stout defensively, they can run with power and speed, the secondary is feisty. The Lions are absolutely not overrated.” – King

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 11, 2023 – Peter King speaks with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and breaks down all the action from Week 1 of the NFL season in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Joe Burrow’s performance in the Bengals’ loss to the Browns, the Cowboys’ dominant victory over the Giants, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

DOLPHINS

Peter King on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance in the team’s win over the Chargers: “This was one of Tua’s best games at any level, ever. That was impressive…He was in command.”

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to King on what he said to Tagovailoa after the game: “I told him, ‘This is gonna be a fun season. Let’s learn from our mistakes. Let’s keep pressing forward.’ You know? That’s really it. Just because he’s in such a good spot. The best thing in the world for a guy like that is to take control over things in his life and that’s all he’s done since last offseason.”

McDaniel: “People were scoffing at him about jiu jitsu. He understood the value of it and really, really put a lot of time into that…I’m telling you, this is the most mentally-tough dude that I’ve ever been around.”

RAMS

Rams QB Matthew Stafford on Los Angeles’ win over Seattle: “Until you go out there and play the games, there’s always a little bit of the unknown. For us as a team, I was really confident in the guys that we were gonna go out there and play with…I definitely felt that if we just played the way we’ve been playing in practice, we were gonna have a good shot.”

Stafford on Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua: “Every time we put something more on his plate, he does a great job making it come to life. Obviously has great run-after-catch ability and he’s a physical player…I trust him.”

WEEK 1

King on 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey: “Watch the 30-7 win at Pittsburgh in the season-opener, with McCaffrey’s power and speed and in-line toughness, and tell me he wasn’t worth a five in 2024 and overall picks 61, 93 and 132 this year.”

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk on what McCaffrey said to him after he saw Aiyuk block for him on his 65-yard touchdown run: “He told me, ‘Bro, I saw that. I love you.’ You know, that’s kind of cool on a deep run, especially when it leads to a touchdown. When we do something like that, it’s always cool when [you] see it [on film] in the receivers room.”

King on the Giants’ 40-0 loss to the Cowboys: “As they say, it’s not a rivalry if you can’t beat a team, and the Giants can’t beat Dallas or Philadelphia right now.”

King: “I think the only thing the Giants can do now is shut up, be thankful that the next game on the schedule is out of town, and at Arizona (both very good things right now), and think back to horrible openers for teams that weren’t that bad.”

King on the aftermath of the Bengals’ loss to the Browns: “Not the best time to see a team that knows the Bengals so well, Baltimore, come to Ohio for the home opener Sunday. That game’s going to answer a lot of questions about how effective (Joe) Burrow’s going to be able to be this year.”

King on the Lions: “They’re stout defensively, they can run with power and speed, the secondary is feisty. The Lions are absolutely not overrated.”

King on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: “Tough and physical, he’s the perfect leader for that receiver corps.”

KING’S WEEK 1 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami, & Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco

King on the Dolphins’ offense: “There is no more explosive combination in football than Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill (11 catches, 215 yards).”

Defensive Players of the Week: Jessie Bates III, Atlanta, & Osa Odighizuwa, Dallas

King on Bates’ performance in Atlanta’s win against Carolina: “Twice baited the top pick in the draft, Bryce Young. Twice timed his jump ahead of the intended receiver perfectly. Twice picked off Young with throws the Carolina quarterback will be agonizing over when he sees the film.”

Coach of the Week: Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Cleveland

King on Schwartz’s gameplan against the Bengals: “The Bengals have finished the last two seasons sixth and eighth in the NFL in scoring, and their first-half drives ended punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt. The Browns blitzed Joe Burrow all day, which is a Schwartz trademark.”

Special Teams Player of the Week: Amani Hooker, Tennessee

Goat of the Week: Kadarius Toney, Kansas City

NEWS & NOTES

King on the Buccaneers’ win against the Vikings: “I think if I’m Baker Mayfield this morning, I’m feeling damn good about winning a road game against a 2022 playoff team when everyone gave up on me.”

Former NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph on spending his final playing season on the Buccaneers with Tom Brady: “The most amazing thing to me was, with all the negativity swirling around his life outside of football, he never carried it into the building. Always positive. I didn’t think it’d be possible when I walked into the team to be more impressed with Tom. But I was.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

 

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“I don’t think there’s a clear weakness on the Eagles … (Jalen Hurts) is about to take his place with (Patrick) Mahomes and Joe Burrow at the very top of the QB pantheon.” – Peter King on predicting the Eagles to win Super Bowl LVIII

“(Josh) Allen’s too good, and too determined, to let the end of 2022 leak into 2023.” – King on predicting the Bills to win the AFC

“I like them to win a tough division. But it’ll be tough for playoff neophytes, even with (Aaron) Rodgers, to survive a postseason gantlet that could have Mahomes, Josh Allen or Burrow in the way.” – King on the Jets

“Of all the odd things in my predictions for 2023…the oddest is the AFC top seed. Jacksonville.” – King on the Jaguars

2023 NFL Season Kicks off This Thursday, Sept. 7 with NFL Kickoff Game (Chiefs vs. Lions) on NBC, Peacock and Universo; Coverage Begins with Special Edition of Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 4, 2023 – Peter King predicts a Philadelphia Eagles-Buffalo Bills Super Bowl matchup and makes his 2023 NFL predictions for this year’s playoff teams and individual awards in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also speaks with Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff in advance of the Lions’ NFL Kickoff matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, with coverage beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

NBC Sports presents two games on NFL Kickoff Weekend, beginning this Thursday, Sept. 7 at with NFL Kickoff 2023 from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., as two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of two of the last four Super Bowls, raise their Super Bowl LVII banner before hosting Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions, who won eight of their final 10 games last season. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock.

In the season opener of Sunday Night Football this Sunday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo), a pair of NFC East playoff teams meet as Daniel Jones and the New York Giants host Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. The matchup marks the series-high fifth time that the Cowboys and Giants have met in the opening NBC Sunday Night Football game.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

KING’S 2023 NFL PREDICTIONS

King on his prediction of the Eagles winning Super Bowl LVIII: “I don’t think there’s a clear weakness on the Eagles. Corner depth, maybe. Backup quarterback. But the offensive line is top-three in the league, defensive-front-seven depth is unrivaled and the quarterback is about to take his place with (Patrick) Mahomes and Joe Burrow at the very top of the QB pantheon.”

King’s AFC playoff seeds: “1. Jacksonville, 2. Kansas City, 3. New York Jets, 4. Cincinnati, 5. Buffalo, 6. Baltimore, 7. Pittsburgh.”

King’s NFC playoff seeds: “1. San Francisco, 2. Philadelphia, 3. Detroit, 4. Atlanta, 5. Dallas, 6. Seattle, 7. Green Bay.”

King on the Bills: “I say (Josh) Allen returns to more efficient form, Von Miller provides a late-season defensive boost and they finally get off the schneid in Kansas City in the playoffs. Allen’s too good, and too determined, to let the end of 2022 leak into 2023.”

King on the Chargers: “I think Justin Herbert will throw for 5,000 yards and they’ll be a top-five scoring team. But there’s some hump here, and they’ve got to get over it.”

King on the Jets: “I like the Jets—a lot. I like them to win a tough division. But it’ll be tough for playoff neophytes, even with (Aaron) Rodgers, to survive a postseason gantlet gauntlet? that could have Mahomes, Josh Allen or Burrow in the way.”

King on predicting the Jaguars to finish as the No. 1 seed in the AFC: “Of all the odd things in my predictions for 2023…the oddest is the AFC top seed. Jacksonville…I looked at the Jacksonville schedule and compared it to Kansas City’s…Strength and weakness of schedules can look much different in November than September. And Kansas City is certainly, absolutely a better team…[but] 10 of (the Jaguars’)17 games come against the worst two divisions in football, the AFC South (six) and NFC South (four).”

KING’S 2023 NFL AWARDS

MVP: “1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia, 2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City, 3. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville…Hurts has ascended to coach-on-the-field mode, in the Mahomes realm.”

Offensive Player of the Year: “1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco, 2. Nick Chubb, Cleveland, 3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia…This is the year McCaffrey puts it all together in an offense designed for all the great things he does.”

Defensive Player of the Year: “1. Micah Parsons, Dallas, 2. Myles Garrett, Cleveland, 3. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh.”

Offensive Rookie of the Year: “1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit, 2. Zay Flowers, Baltimore, 3. Bryce Young, Carolina…Flowers will be more spectacular. Gibbs will produce more yards.”

Defensive Rookie of the Year: “1. Jalen Carter, Philadelphia, 2. Tyrique Stevenson, Chicago, 3. Will Anderson Jr., Houston…Voters will have to see how disruptive Carter is, because others will have better stats.”

Coach of the Year: “1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville, 2. Dan Campbell, Detroit, 3. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay…If they’re the 1 seed in the mighty AFC, how would Pederson not win Coach of the Year?”

Comeback Player of the Year: “1. Damar Hamlin, Buffalo, 2. Russell Wilson, Denver, 3. Jon Metchie, Houston…Once Hamlin suits up in week one and plays a snap, he wins. Contest over.”

NEWS & NOTES

Lions QB Jared Goff to King on what he’s learned during his time in the NFL: “I think you learn that you might be a little tougher than you might think. You can handle a lot more than you think…I’ve learned getting knocked down is one of the greatest things that can happen to you.”

King on the Jonathan Taylor contract dispute: “I think if I’m Colts GM Chris Ballard, I give Jonathan Taylor two weeks of a cooling-off period, then quietly meet with him and assess if there’s a way to make the relationship sound again. If not, get a second-round pick and a conditional pick from Miami.”

King on Damar Hamlin’s training camp: “Damar Hamlin legitimately beat out Dean Marlowe, and Hamlin and Taylor Rapp will be Buffalo’s backup safeties.”

King on the Jets’ roster moves: “(Undrafted rookie wide receiver) Jason Brownlee from Southern Miss was a camp star and could be a factor, particularly if vets like Randall Cobb and Mecole Hardman get hurt.”

King on Buccaneers WR Mike Evans’ future with Tampa Bay: “I think it sounds very much like free-agent-to-be Mike Evans will play somewhere other than Tampa in 2024, when he will be 31 years old.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

 

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“It puts tremendous pressure on (Brock) Purdy to play as he did in his magical eight-game run last season. To me, this was a trade that didn’t need to be made.”– King on the 49ers trading QB Trey Lance to the Cowboys

“Herbert looks and sounds like he’s in the best place he’s been in during his young pro career.” – King on Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s improvements this offseason

“He’s gonna be a lot closer to those 2021 numbers than he was the 2022 numbers.” – Broncos head coach Sean Payton on QB Russell Wilson

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 28, 2023 – Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and head coach Pete Carroll, and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speak with Peter King as his 2023 Training Camp Tour continues with trips to the Chargers and Seahawks in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses the Trey Lance trade, Russell Wilson’s offseason adjustments, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

CHARGERS

Peter King on the relationship between Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr: “Brandon Staley has spent time with Golden State basketball coach Steve Kerr. He admires Kerr a lot. And Staley thinks there’s one significant commonality between a basketball star like Steph Curry and a quarterback. They’ve got a big edge when putting pressure on the defense. Kerr explained to Staley: When a defense can get set for Curry, there’s a lot of different ways the defense can take him out of the game. Then we’re grinding every possession, and it’s an 83-79 game. When we don’t let a defense get set, we can be in a free-flowing state. We can pressure the defense. We can dictate.”

King on Herbert this offseason: “With (new offensive coordinator Kellen) Moore and position coach Doug Nussmeier, Herbert looks and sounds like he’s in the best place he’s been in during his young pro career.”

Chargers OC Kellen Moore on Herbert: “That’s the stuff that’s blowing me away—how much volume he can handle, and how fast he masters it.”

Herbert after King telling him that it doesn’t look like his $262 million contract has changed him: “My father will be very happy to hear that.”

King on Herbert’s improvements in the new Chargers offense: “They say to me that Herbert’s gotten better at one of the most important, and underrated, parts of playing the position. That’s manipulating the defense. He knows how to use the freedom of the toolbox Moore and Staley have handed him.”

SEAHAWKS

Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner on what he said to the opposing Seattle players last season during his lone season with the Rams: “When I played against the Seahawks last year, they had all these new guys. They’re talking trash. I’m telling them, like, ‘I had that jersey before you guys were even born. Don’t tell me what the Seahawks mean! I created what the Seahawks mean to you guys.’”

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on Wagner’s standing ovation during his first preseason game at Lumen Field: “A great moment. And just wait—it’ll be greater opening day when he gets introduced.”

Geno Smith on what he wants to improve on this season: “I still feel like I don’t really do enough of the stuff on the move. Being able to create off-schedule. And then being able to attack a little more in the red zone.”

Smith on what he learned in the seven years between his starting jobs in the NFL: “The important thing to do is to take ownership, not make any excuses, not look for a copout…I just took ownership of everything and I made sure that when my opportunity came I’d be ready for it.”

TREY LANCE & 49ERS

King on the 49ers trading 2021 No. 3 overall draft pick Trey Lance to the Cowboys: “Why can’t a smart coach, knowing Lance’s unique situation, figure a way to get him some experience, mostly in practice but who knows? … You do not throw away something you believed in so strongly just two years ago.”

King: “The Niners can crow about being surprised they got a fourth-round pick for Lance. But it’s a terrible return, even for this damaged used car.”

King on what he would say to head coach Kyle Shanahan if he were team owner Jed York: “I’m going to take a more active role after the season in making sure something like this doesn’t happen again. No matter how well we do this year, losing three first-round picks in succession is eventually going to be felt significantly on this team.”

King on the ramifications of the trade: “It puts tremendous pressure on (Brock) Purdy to play as he did in his magical eight-game run last season. To me, this was a trade that didn’t need to be made. And shouldn’t have been made.”

SEAN PAYTON & BRONCOS

Payton on QB Russell Wilson’s offseason improvements: “He’s gonna be a lot closer to those 2021 numbers than he was the 2022 numbers.”

King on Wilson: “I have little doubt Wilson can resume the career of a top-10 NFL quarterback…The only way to go for Wilson was to submit to the coaching and the barbs of Payton, and I’ve heard that’s what he’s done.”

King on the Broncos: “The reality is that Wilson could be markedly better and Denver could be just marginally better.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on Steelers sophomore QB Kenny Pickett: “I think the young quarterback who made the most progress toward being a top-dozen QB in the league in the preseason is Kenny Pickett. The Steelers have to feel great about their team, and their quarterback, entering a season in a stacked AFC North.”

King on future of Rams DT Aaron Donald, a Pittsburgh native who was an All-American at University of Pittsburgh: “I think, for the record, Aaron Donald is not likely to play the twilight of his career for the Steelers. I hear it’s not a burning desire of his.”

King on Browns K Cade York: “Last week, he missed 47- and 41-yard field-goal tries in the final two minutes; the Browns tied the Eagles. This weekend, he had a 43-yarder blocked in the final minute in a one-point loss to Kansas City…Your move, Browns.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“I truly believe if we won that day we could have won the Super Bowl.”– Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on last season’s Divisional Playoff loss to the 49ers

“I want to win the Super Bowl. The only way to do that is to win playoff games. Those two wins aren’t going to be enough.” – Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on changing his 2-4 postseason record

“I think back to the night of the Miami game, when we lost Jimmy (Garoppolo) and had to play Brock (Purdy)…and I’m laying there in bed that night, and I say, ‘Man, it’s awful for Jimmy. But wait a second. Brock did play pretty good.” – 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reflecting on QB Brock Purdy’s first game in 2022

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 21, 2023 – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Dak Prescott, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen speak with Peter King as his 2023 Training Camp Tour continues with trips to the Cowboys, 49ers, Saints, and Bears in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses the Bears’ new offense with WR D.J. Moore, the 49ers’ QB situation, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

COWBOYS

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on his team’s 27-year Super Bowl drought: “I know how hard it is to win one of those (a Super Bowl)…Just because we haven’t won it in so long doesn’t make what we’ve done meaningless.”

Jones on the Cowboys’ last offensive possession of last season’s NFC Divisional Playoff game against the 49ers: “Those 48 seconds…I truly believe if we won that day we could have won the Super Bowl.”

Jones on trusting QB Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl: “We’re relying on him, and I feel very good about that. His preparation, his presence, how the team responds to him. I believe he will get us there.”

Prescott on learning from last year’s playoff loss: “To say I’m continuing to relive it, it’s past me at this point. But a lot of the offseason was about that. With (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) taking over the play-calling we went into details and sometimes…there’s a lot of details in that that allowed those three plays to not be successful. That’s what we really focused on this training camp and this spring, cleaning that up.”

Prescott on his 2-4 postseason record: “I want to win the Super Bowl. The only way to do that is to win playoff games. Those two wins aren’t going to be enough.”

49ERS

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the importance of a great defense: “Year after year, all these quarterbacks. All these bad injuries. The one thing we believed in was having a great defense. That keeps games close, then you just figure a way sometimes on offense.”

Shanahan on Brock Purdy replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season: “I think back to the night of the Miami game, when we lost Jimmy and had to play Brock. The feeling after that game was very sad, because of what happened to Jimmy. And I’m laying there in bed that night, and I say, ‘Man, it’s awful for Jimmy. But wait a second. Brock did play pretty good.’”

Purdy on starting this season after offseason elbow surgery: “To be able to go out and practice and still make all the throws with velocity, on time, gives me a lot of confidence. I’m confident, ready to roll for this year.”

Shanahan on QB Sam Darnold signing with the 49ers this offseason: “Sam still could’ve gone other places for a lot more money. For him to come here—a huge leap of faith. He had no idea if he was coming for the one, two or three job.”

49ers GM John Lynch on his discussion with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the 2017 League Meeting: “Thank God John Harbaugh said this. ‘Could I talk to you for a sec?’ He said he couldn’t let me leave because of the respect he had for me and Kyle (Shanahan). He said, ‘The one thing (Ravens GM) Ozzie (Newsome) and I learned is if you feel really convicted on a player, it’s your job to sell Kyle on him. Tell him why you love him. Show him film as to why you love him. If you can’t agree, then you move on. But man, there’re not enough good players that if one of you doesn’t like him when you start talking, next! I can’t tell you how many times where Ozzie’s loved a player and I hated him. But by the end, Ozzie’s got me all in and vice versa.’ That was a great lesson.”

BEARS

First-year Bears WR D.J. Moore on QB Justin Fields: “Justin’s young. He’s a sponge. He’ll throw deep, intermediate, short—just wants to make the best choice on every play.”

Peter King on the impact of Moore on the offense: “Moore is the player this franchise needed for the care and development of the young quarterback, Fields…it’s apparent no one here wants a do-over on the trade that netted Chicago one of the game’s top 20 wide receivers.”

SAINTS

King on QB Derek Carr signing with the Saints after spending the first nine years of his career with the Raiders: “Carr leaving the Raiders was good for Vegas; the Raiders lost faith him as a player and leader…and the move was great for Carr, who needed a new start the way Aaron Rodgers did.”

Saints head coach Dennis Allen on Carr’s impact: “We’ve got the best quarterback in our division. Our team believes in our quarterback.”

Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael on WR Michael Thomas’ comeback: “I don’t need Mike Thomas to be the guy he was in 2019. If he’s 75, 80 percent of that, we’re good.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on the Colts naming rookie QB Anthony Richardson as the Week 1 starter: “I’m not crazy about the decision to name Anthony Richardson the starting QB after an in-and-out training camp, and after just one year as a college starter. I know he needs the experience, but what’s the rush, with Gardner Minshew a solid option to start the season?”

King on Browns K Cade York’s recent struggles: “I think when you hear Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t concerned that kicker Cade York missed 47- and 41-yard field-goal attempts with a preseason game on the line, and you hear York say he’s not concerned, you should be skeptical.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“Seven’s a lot, but I’ll strive to get as close as I can. To win seven Super Bowls and be in 10 Super Bowls, it’s crazy to even think about, even for me today.” – Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on chasing Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl championships

“I think the biggest headline of the first full preseason weekend had to be not only Damar Hamlin’s return to football in Buffalo’s game against the Colts, but Hamlin seeming to eliminate any chance he wouldn’t make the 2023 Buffalo Bills.” – King on Bills CB Damar Hamlin

 “The locals are ridiculously grateful for 30-plus years of Hall of Fame quarterbacking from (Brett) Favre and (Aaron) Rodgers, but there’s not a lot of pining for the good old days here. Time to move on.”– King on the beginning of the Jordan Love Era in Green Bay

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 14, 2023 – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl LVII MVP Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, and Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson speak with Peter King as his 2023 Training Camp Tour continues with trips to the Chiefs, Packers, and Browns in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also compares Mahomes’ start of his career to Tom Brady’s, discusses Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker’s sustained excellence, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

CHIEFS

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes to King on chasing Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl championships: “Seven’s a lot, but I’ll strive to get as close as I can. To win seven Super Bowls and be in 10 Super Bowls, it’s crazy to even think about, even for me today…I knew at Texas Tech, I put up a lot of stats but didn’t win games. When I got to the NFL, I knew I wanted to be a winner [first].”

Reid on what then-Patriots QB Tom Brady said to Mahomes after New England defeated Kansas City in the 2018 AFC Championship Game: “Brady was like, You’re gonna take my place in this thing.”

Reid on Mahomes’ ankle injury during Kansas City’s Divisional Playoff Game against Jacksonville last season: “Remember, I had to live through Donovan McNabb playing on a broken leg in Philadelphia. I wasn’t gonna go through that again with this kid. I love him. But he was so pissed. He was still saying a bunch of F-words. And I said, ‘Okay, you’re not going to play then.’ And I left. The unique part of that, which I did not see, was when I left him he took his cape off and he sprinted up the tunnel to go get it checked.”

Reid on Mahomes’ leadership skills: “Patrick kind of looks at football with a panoramic shot. He sees the whole thing for everybody…Patrick’s team-centered. Listen to him compliment the 12^th-string players.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Mahomes’ rising popularity: “You keep seeing him on this slow incline of taking over the world. He’s gonna become even more of an international superstar with the Netflix Quarterback doc. He understands how to keep getting better at this game of football and this game of life.”

PACKERS

King on Packers fans’ excitement for QB Jordan Love to take over: “The locals are ridiculously grateful for 30-plus years of Hall of Fame quarterbacking from (Brett) Favre and (Aaron) Rodgers — no other fan base has been that lucky — but there’s not a lot of pining for the good old days here. Time to move on.”

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on his young team: “We’re very young. I can feel it. It’s like we’re a ball of clay, and we’re trying to mold it.”

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on Green Bay’s method of training QB’s: “Going back to [GMs] Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, I trained under them. There’s some things we believe in here — developing quarterbacks, and drafting quarterbacks to develop. We believe in allowing them to sit and learn a little bit before they have to play. It’s an organization thing.”

Love on preparing for his first season as an NFL starting QB: “It is a process and you’ve got to take it one day at a time. But I’m a worker. I’m just excited to showcase my talent on the field.”

BROWNS

King on the Browns’ mentality entering this season: “Talked to a few people inside the team and on the team and got the impression they’re not going to focus much this year on the decision to trade for Deshaun Watson or the decision to give Deshaun Watson the biggest guaranteed contract in history as the league prepared to come down hard on him for his sexual misconduct.”

Browns DE Myles Garrett on QB Deshaun Watson’s struggles on the field last season: “You’re in a new city, with new people, new teammates, and the news cycle is going on and on about you every day, and not for football. You’re gone for [two-and-a-half months, suspended], and you come back to this new team and you’re supposed to be good all the time, not some of the time.”

Browns WR Amari Cooper on the differences with Watson this season: “The biggest distinction, I think, is that he has a clear head. He’s very intentional about the camaraderie.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on Bills CB Damar Hamlin’s comeback: “I think the biggest headline of the first full preseason weekend had to be not only Damar Hamlin’s return to football in Buffalo’s game against the Colts, but Hamlin seeming to eliminate any chance he wouldn’t make the 2023 Buffalo Bills.”

Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson on his progress this offseason: “I’m working on my footwork a lot. Understanding the depth of the routes. Understanding what we’re trying to do to the certain defensive coverages. It’s just understanding a lot of things and mastering the details…Understanding that everybody has knowledge about football. You see guys shifting this way and that — watch this, watch this. So I gotta fine-tune myself.”

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown on what he learned from being the 17^th receiver picked in the 2021 NFL Draft: “I’m still pissed off to this day. But I learned something from it. I was going to go hard every day, every play, to prove all those teams made a mistake. That’s why I go so hard…The guys they picked before me, I’m watching.”

King on Ravens K Justin Tucker’s sustained greatness: “There’s little doubt in my mind Adam Vinatieri will make the Pro Football Hall of Fame…So what to do with the 33-year-old Tucker, entering his 12^th season with the Ravens? Vinatieri’s an 83.8-percent career kicker. Tucker checks in at 90.5 percent, the only kicker in history to have a 90-percent success rate…Enjoy him while you can.”

King on the future of Vikings QB Kirk Cousins in Minnesota: “I sense Vikings fans want Cousins to be their quarterback, but if he doesn’t advance the team this year, I think many would be ready to move on.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“I think that there’s still some dust on that ’76 Mustang that we need to work out, but the car runs beautifully.” – Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. on his readiness to play this season

“I look at guys like MJ (Michael Jordan) and Kobe (Bryant) and how they diagnose their game. Obviously two different sports, but trying to get better at my strengths and then turning my weaknesses into my strengths.” – Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on his offseason focus

 “Mike (McDaniel) allows me just to play quarterback. I don’t have to be anyone other than Tua.” – Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa on playing for head coach Mike McDaniel

“There will not be a more diverse, harder-to-defend offense in the NFC this year than coach Arthur Smith’s team.” – King on the Falcons’ offense

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 7, 2023 – Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young speak with Peter King as his 2023 Training Camp Tour continues with trips to the Dolphins, Ravens, Panthers, Eagles, and Falcons in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s relationship with his team, Ravens rookie WR Zay Flowers, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

DOLPHINS

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to Peter King on his new QB-specific helmet designed to add more protection: “They were talking about that it’s 1 percent better than the helmet that I’m in. Now OK, you look at 1 percent. That’s not a drastic change from the helmet that I’m in. But then you look at playing on the field, and I figure that’s 1 percent better that you got on this play or that play, and eventually it ends up adding up.”

Tagovailoa on learning how to fall more safely during this offseason: “I went on YouTube. Searched ‘jiu jitsu falling.’ When you think of falling, you just fall. You don’t think there’s a way how to fall in weird, awkward positions, but it really does help.”

Tagovailoa on his experience playing for Nick Saban at Alabama: “With Nick, I was able to be myself. Nick was tailored more towards the defense. When we would practice at Alabama, it would be a bad practice if the offense did really good and it would be a great practice if the defense killed the offense. When we made a big play against the defense, we understood how much it would piss him off. It would be like a win for us offensively. We loved it.”

Tagovailoa on playing for Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel: “Mike allows me just to play quarterback. I don’t have to be anyone other than Tua.”

McDaniel on saying random things to his players during games to help them calm down: “Levity within the chaos can kind of calm people. I say random stuff to people all the time just to get the human element, to get them loose and concentrated on the right stuff because the pressure could encapsulate them, but it doesn’t have to.”

RAVENS

Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. on starting a new chapter of his career in Baltimore: “In my career, even when I was the young guy, I was always looked [at] as an older guy because of what I accomplished early in my career. I feel that part of the reason why I was brought here was to be that person for those younger guys.”

Beckham Jr. reflecting on his career: “If I could go back, would I like to have a career where the first three years of my career could have been repeated? Yeah, of course. I’d be sitting here, 30 years old, with 100 touchdowns and 14,000 yards. I wish I could’ve never been injured, never shattered my ankle or came back too early from a high ankle sprain. But those are things I now have to live with. I can’t live in regret for the rest of my life.”

Beckham Jr. on what his performance in Super Bowl LVI with the Rams could have been had he not torn his ACL in the second quarter: “People have no idea what I was actually gonna do that day. It was gonna be the day where I catch 15 balls, maybe 250 yards. The gameplan was for me. We would’ve beat ‘em 42-17.”

Beckham Jr. on his readiness to play this season: “I think that there’s still some dust on that ’76 Mustang that we need to work out, but the car runs beautifully.”

Peter King on Ravens rookie WR Zay Flowers: “(He’s) the best rookie I’ve seen in nine camps so far … (He’s) going to be a problem for corners.”

PANTHERS

Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young on his height in the NFL: “Everyone is taller than me, but it’s been like that. Height-wise I haven’t seen anything [different].”

Panthers head coach Frank Reich on how Young did when running an entire meeting by himself: “Phenomenal. Flawless. He knew everything. It was a pretty amazing night.”

Panthers WR Adam Thielen on Young’s performance in training camp so far: “Somehow he’s been able to be on the same page with a lot of new receivers without having many reps together. I think he does an unbelievable job of making the ball friendly and catchable.”

EAGLES

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on what he’s been trying to improve this offseason: “I think just the overall development. Every time you go into an offseason, for me at least, I look at guys like MJ (Michael Jordan) and Kobe (Bryant) and how they diagnose their game. Obviously two different sports, but trying to get better at my strengths and then turning my weaknesses into my strengths.”

King on Hurts: “To have a player who finished last season as a top-five quarterback, at 24, and played the best game of his life in the biggest game of his life…it’s daunting to think the Eagles got him with the 53^rd pick in a draft.”

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on Hurts’ mentality: “When I worked with Frank Reich in Indianapolis, I remember him saying, ‘No man suddenly becomes different than his cherished thoughts and habits.’ That’s Jalen. It’s like when he signed the deal and I congratulated him. I don’t remember his exact words but it was something like, ‘Great. Let’s get to work.’ That’s what’s important to him – the work.”

FALCONS

King on the Falcons’ offense: “There will not be a more diverse, harder-to-defend offense in the NFC this year than coach Arthur Smith’s team.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on Bengals LB Logan Wilson’s new contract: “I think the underrated contract note of the week was linebacker Logan Wilson signing a four-year deal to stay a Bengal. He’s one of the five most important players on that team.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“If I can string together a few seasons of good health, then I don’t want to put a cap on my future. But I feel good about this not being just a one-year thing.” – New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers on his future with the team

“Putting the pads on is pretty much the last step for him. Once he gets comfortable doing that, then he’s back and he’s ready.” – Bills CB Dane Jackson on teammate and childhood friend Damar Hamlin’s comeback

 “I probably enjoy the job more than I ever have. I just think it’s that I’m not distracted by things that could be a pebble in your shoe. I just take the pebble out and keep moving.” – Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on his coaching mentality

“Rarely when word starts leaking that a guy can miss six weeks does he miss three or four — and if he does come back after three or four, there’s a good chance he won’t be in pristine health.” – King on Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s strained calf

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2023 – New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown speak with Peter King as he kicks off his 40^th season covering the NFL. King’s 2023 Training Camp Tour begins with trips to the Jets, Steelers, Lions, and Buffalo Bills in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s comeback, Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s upcoming sophomore season, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, including King’s exclusive player and coach interviews along his Training Camp Tour, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

AARON RODGERS & JETS

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers to King on contemplating retirement this past offseason: “I mean, I wanted to retire. That’s how I was leaning…The answer is yes I needed a change. I did think the change was gonna be retirement.”

Rodgers on deciding to continue his career with the Jets: “When I met with the Jets at my house, I really felt like I had to at least strongly consider that opportunity. The more I thought about it and meditated on it and got back into my workouts and felt really good about where I was at and still wanting to play then I just thought that was the best option for me and the best opportunity.”

Rodgers on giving up $35 million of his salary to create more financial flexibility for the Jets: “I thought it was important they knew how committed I was. And in my conversations with (Jets GM) Joe (Douglas), he has made it very clear the vision for the football team…I wanted to make sure that if somebody valuable came available that we’d be able to get him.”

Rodgers on the difference between the Jets’ and Packers’ coaching: “To have a defensive head coach puts a different framework on the team. The defense has a different confidence I think that they practice with. We had great defenses in Green Bay during our time. But it always felt like an offensive team.”

Rodgers on his relationship with Jets head coach Robert Saleh: “I enjoy coming to Robert with ideas or as maybe in a consultant role like, ‘Hey, I’ve been other places, I see this. I see that’ … I respect the hell out of him when he’s like, ‘Well I hear what you’re saying but I think I’m gonna do it this way.’”

Rodgers on his future with the Jets: “If I can string together a few seasons of good health, then I don’t want to put a cap on my future. But I feel good about this not being just a one-year thing.”

DAMAR HAMLIN & BILLS

Bills CB Dane Jackson (who grew up and went to college with Hamlin) on Damar Hamlin’s road to full contact practice: “He’s been out there for some practices, so he’s been out there feeling it. But putting the pads on is pretty much the last step for him. Once he gets comfortable doing that, then he’s back and he’s ready.”

King on Hamlin: “In the early days of training camp at St. John Fisher University, he’s been nearly as popular as matinee idol Josh Allen. I watched him for at least 35 minutes sign and pose and smile for Bills fans young and old after practice Sunday…Now he’s one of the most famous players in the league”

LIONS

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown on the team receiving more attention this season: “I’m just happy for the Lions, for us as a team to finally get some people to watch. I’m not saying we’re gonna go out there and win…I’m just glad that we have an opportunity to show what we can do.”

King on St. Brown’s chip-on-his-shoulder mentality: “The feisty St. Brown reeled off the 16 receivers drafted ahead of him in the ’21 draft (he got them all right) and told me he looks at the list three times a day…He delights in knowing his 196 catches in two years is more than any of the 16 receivers drafted before him.”

King on the Lions’ restructured running back room: “Turns out the Lions wanted (Jamaal) Williams, the NFL’s rush-TD leader with 17, back, but couldn’t agree on the price…I don’t get why the Lions didn’t think Williams was worth the $6-million-a-year they paid (David) Montgomery.”

STEELERS

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the improvements of the team’s second-year stars: “Kenny Pickett and (WR) George Pickens, both second-year guys. Both significant contributors to our effort. It’s also reasonable to expect those guys to have great growth.”

Pickett on Pickens: “His catch radius, unbelievable. You just have to put it in his zip code.”

King on Tomlin’s thoughts on Pickett: “He knows the Pitt kid is his best option and has a good chance to become a long-term starter, but he’s not going to stand for another offensive season like last year, when Pittsburgh was 27^th in scoring. That’s why he’s not ready to make any pronouncements on how comfortable he’s becoming with Pickett.”

Tomlin on his coaching mentality: “I probably enjoy the job more than I ever have. I just think it’s that I’m not distracted by things that could be a pebble in your shoe. I just take the pebble out and keep moving.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s recent interview on the 2022 Broncos coaching staff: “It’s one thing to say to Russell Wilson: I’ve got your back. Me and you against the world, Russ. It’s another thing to lay waste to a good coach not ready to be a head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, and to football people still in the Denver building (‘20 dirty hands’). Just way over the line.”

King: “In some ways, Payton may have put more pressure on Wilson, because he totally, unequivocally absolved him of all blame in the disastrous 2022 season. Now, if Wilson doesn’t revert to top-QB form, Payton has set himself and Wilson up as punching bags.”

King on Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s strained calf: “Rarely when word starts leaking that a guy can miss six weeks does he miss three or four — and if he does come back after three or four, there’s a good chance he won’t be in pristine health.”

King on the Bills’ future in Buffalo: “Do not underestimate the unique circumstances around the Bills staying long-term in western New York. The sitting governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, is from Buffalo…The sitting commissioner of the league (Roger Goodell) spent the first 12 years of his life living in Jamestown, N.Y., an hour south of Orchard Park. He has a very soft spot in his heart for an NFL franchise in America’s 49^th-largest market.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“That play just confirmed everything we were thinking and already know. Just confirmed the level of football IQ he has that’s on par with Peyton (Manning), (Matt) Ryan, (Philip) Rivers, (Andrew) Luck.” – Panthers head coach Frank Reich on the college play that solidified Bryce Young as their draft choice

“Jordan Love sat and Aaron (Rodgers) did a great job mentoring him. But now Jordan’s ready to play. He needs to play.” – Packers GM Brian Gutekunst

“It’s logical to think Aaron Rodgers will lift all Jets, and I believe he will. Rodgers is the kind of person who can set his mind to something and go out and do it.” – Peter King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 8, 2023 – Peter King lists his 2023 NFL offseason power rankings and speaks with Panthers head coach Frank Reich and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst about their teams’ respective offseasons in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

Peter King’s Football Morning in America returns Monday, July 31 –

Peter King: “This is my last column for 12 weeks. I will resume with a column from the training camp trail on July 31. Nothing really complex about this — I just wanted to take some time off and do some family things (and a bunch of nothing too) before the start of my 40^th season covering the NFL this summer.”

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

PETER KING’S 2023 NFL OFFSEASON POWER RANKINGS

“Can’t find a weakness”	17) Cleveland Browns
1) Philadelphia Eagles	18) Tennessee Titans
“They’ve got Super Bowl vibes”	“They’ve got holes”
2) Kansas City Chiefs	19) Las Vegas Raiders
3) Cincinnati Bengals	20) New England Patriots
4) San Francisco 49ers	21) Green Bay Packers
5) Buffalo Bills	22) Atlanta Falcons
“They’re on the border”	23) Denver Broncos
6) Detroit Lions	24) New Orleans Saints
7) Baltimore Ravens	“Under construction”
8) Miami Dolphins	25) Carolina Panthers
9) New York Jets	26) Indianapolis Colts
10) Dallas Cowboys	27) Washington Commanders
“If all goes right…”	28) Los Angeles Rams
11) New York Giants	29) Chicago Bears
12) Seattle Seahawks	30) Houston Texans
13) Jacksonville Jaguars	31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14) Minnesota Vikings	“Wait till 2025”
15) Los Angeles Chargers	32) Arizona Cardinals
16) Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Peter King on the Eagles at No. 1: “The Eagles averaged 34.7 points per game in the playoffs, have adequately compensated for losses of both coordinators, are not worse at any position, have an offensive line that should keep upright a rising superstar QB-of-the-future at the top of his game, and will field two top-15 NFL wideouts entering their age-25 and age-26 seasons.”

King on the Bengals at No. 3: “Lucky for the Bengals, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn’t get the Arizona job — he’s been as good as a schemer can be against (Patrick) Mahomes.”

King on the Bills at No. 5: “Bills at the crossroads after the toughest playoff loss any team suffered last season. Josh Allen needs Gabe Davis to return to late-2021 form, and for two additions — first-round TE Dalton Kincaid and under-appreciated free agent WR Trent Sherfield — to contribute immediately. Very important year, chasing the ever-elusive Lombardi.”

King on the Lions at No. 6: “Curious move this offseason. The Lions took what wasn’t broken and tried to fix it… That’s pressure on Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, particularly when the head coach is a big-time running guy.”

King on the Jets at No. 9: “It’s logical to think Aaron Rodgers will lift all Jets, and I believe he will. Rodgers is the kind of person who can set his mind to something — such as showing the Packers and the world he’s not kaput entering his age-40 season — and go out and do it.”

King on the Cowboys at No. 10: “They’ve won 24 regular-season games in the last two years, then scored 36 points in eight quarters in two playoff losses to the Niners. Dak Prescott’s got to do something about that, now.”

King on the Seahawks at No. 12: “There aren’t many teams with a better three-man receiver corps than DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”

King on the Browns at No. 17: “I think Deshaun Watson is still good, but how can you tell after seeing him play six (highly) mediocre games in the last 28 months?”

King on the Titans at No. 18: “Feels like the Titans are a slow start from Will Levis playing by Nov. 1, selling Derrick Henry by the trade deadline, and building for 2024.”

King on the Broncos at No. 23: “Broncos will be a playoff contender if Sean Payton unlocks Russell Wilson. It is entirely possible Payton will.”

King on the Rams at No. 28: “Not saying Sean McVay reads Football Morning in America, but I do believe that retching sound you’ll hear around 7 a.m. PT today is the sound of McVay vomiting when he sees his team ranked 28^th in the NFL offseason power rankings.”

King on the Texans at No. 30: “I don’t think a team with the presence and ethos-changing ability of DeMeco Ryans and the playmaking ability of C.J. Stroud can be the worst team in the league.”

King on the Cardinals at No. 32: “The best thing about being awful this year is GM Monti Ossenfort could have the next 11 months to figure out whether his quarterback of the future is Kyler Murray or if it it’s one of the mega-prospects due out in the 2024 draft — Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.”

BRYCE YOUNG & THE PANTHERS

Panthers head coach Frank Reich on the play from Bryce Young’s 2020 freshman year at Alabama that solidified Carolina’s choice to draft him: “Bryce right there called a five-man slide, which is an incredibly smart and incredibly risky call…He saw overload pressure to his left, he figured he wasn’t getting pressure to his right, he had the line all move left to compensate — and he even got the back to cover a blitzer. Just look how easy he made it look.”

Reich on that play: “That play just confirmed everything we were thinking and already know. Just confirmed the level of football IQ he has that’s on par with Peyton (Manning), (Matt) Ryan, (Philip) Rivers, (Andrew) Luck. I’m telling you: There are quarterbacks in the NFL who haven’t done what he did right there—and he did it easily in his true freshman year in college.”

King on the Panthers’ starting quarterback job this season: “This play, showing this knowledge of the game, is one reason there is no doubt in my mind that Young will begin the season as Carolina’s starting quarterback. The Panthers might have Andy Dalton number one on the depth chart today, but Dalton’s the definition of placeholder.”

PACKERS

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on their strategy in trading QB Aaron Rodgers: “We like to develop quarterbacks. Part of developing quarterbacks is they gotta sit for a while, I think, and then they gotta play. Obviously, Jordan Love sat and Aaron (Rodgers) did a great job just kinda mentoring him. But now Jordan’s ready to play. He needs to play.”

Gutekunst on the future of the Packers: “There’s a lot of unknowns. We’re a very young team. But I think the players, Jordan and the young guys, realize there’s gonna be more and different opportunities than they had in the past.”

King on the Aaron Rodgers trade: “All in all, trading Rodgers prior to his age-40 season could backfire on Green Bay. He could be (Tom) Brady, playing great for four or five more years. That’s the chance they’re taking.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—