NFL news, live updates ahead of Super Bowl 2026: Seahawks, Patriots keep it loose in final stretch

The Dallas Cowboys are expected to place their franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Pickens is coming off his first season in Dallas, a breakout campaign in which he caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards.

The tag is projected to cost approximately $28 million, per Schefter, and it’s thought to be the placeholder for long-term contract negotiations.

The Seattle Seahawks are adding two running backs to their active roster for Super Bowl LX. Cam Akers and Velus Jones were elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.

Akers, 26, appeared in three games this season for the Seahawks with no carries or receptions, This will be his second Super Bowl, after appearing with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans in his six-year NFL career.

Jones, 28, also played in three regular-season games, rushing for 32 yards on four carries. In four NFL seasons, he has also played with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.

The Atlanta Falcons are expected to release quarterback Kirk Cousins before the start of the new league year in March, giving him the chance to choose where he wants to play in 2026, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

That is, if Cousins does in fact decide to keep playing. He’s spent 14 seasons in the league: six in Washington, six in Minnesota and two in Atlanta.

Both running back D’Ernest Johnson and defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III will be on the active roster for the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX.

Johnson carried the ball just 13 times for 25 yards this season, whereas Taylor scattered 11 total tackles — first with the New York Jets and then with the Patriots — in his limited action.

The New England Patriots didn’t have to wait until the Super Bowl to listen to artist Bad Bunny. To simulate Super Bowl conditions, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel sent his team to the locker room for 14 minutes while blaring Bad Bunny on the speakers before bringing them back.

Bad Bunny will be performing at halftime of Super Bowl LX.

The safety has no injury designation after fully participating in Friday’s practice.

It’s an almost entirely clean final injury report for Seattle, other than FB Robbie Ouzts, who is questionable with a neck injury.

DL Joshua Farmer, LB Harold Landry and LB Robert Spillane were all questionable after Friday’s practice.

When the New England Patriots went 4-13 in consecutive seasons, plenty of NFL fans were good with it.

They won too much over two decades with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. People were ready to be done with them (though they just shifted their hate to the Kansas City Chiefs). When the Patriots bottomed out at the end of the Belichick era, and then again for Jerod Mayo’s one season as head coach, the dynasty wasn’t just dead but it was deep into the rearview mirror.

Well, guess what? The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. And it is possible this isn’t their last one of this era.

Read more here.

With the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class complete, eyes are already on who could make up the 2027 class, including first-time eligible candidates.

The list is stacked.

Among those candidates are former New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson.

NFL Honors concludes with Commanders LB Bobby Wagner winning the award for philanthropy and community impact.

Stafford narrowly beat out the Patriots QB, with 24 first-place votes to Maye’s 23.

Josh Allen was the only other candidate to get any first-place votes, with 2.

Stafford beats out Patriots QB Drake Maye for the NFL’s top honor of the 2025 season.

The Seahawks receiver takes home the award, but of course he’s not in person to accept it as his team is preparing for a pretty big game on Sunday.

The second-round draft pick out of UCLA became an important centerpiece of Cleveland’s dominant defense.

Caleb Williams’ overtime-winning touchdown pass to DJ Moore to help the Bears beat the Packers and eventually win the NFC North title was voted top moment this season.

As previously reported, the notable names missing from this class: Patriots legends Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, who were both first-time finalists this year.

Drew Brees

Larry Fitzgerald

Luke Kuechly

Adam Vinatieri

Roger Craig

Vrabel beat out Super Bowl counterpart Mike Macdonald of the Seahawks. Will Sunday’s outcome be difference?

As expected, the Patriots head coach wins the award after leading the team to the Super Bowl in his first year on the job.