Apparel brand Fanatics issued an apology this week over the lack of availability and poor quality of its Super Bowl LX gear after complaints from New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks fans.
In a statement posted Monday night on social media, Fanatics wrote that “we’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability — we own that and we are sorry.”
The NFL’s official merchandising partner pointed to the surge in demand for Seahawks and Patriots gear after both teams missed the playoffs last year, and admitted that the company was struggling to “meet the overwhelming demand to keep team color jerseys in stock.”
NFL fans, we've seen your jersey feedback, and we take it very seriously. We’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability – we own that and we are sorry.
This Super Bowl matchup has created unprecedented challenges for us because of the massive surge in…
Fanatics’ statement also tried to downplay the images circulating on social media — “We’ve heard questions about the quality of these alternate jerseys and can assure you that, despite some unflattering photos, these jerseys are identical to the standard Nike replica ‘Game’ jersey,” the company said — but fans and members of the media keep showing proof that says otherwise.
Doug Kyed, Patriots’ beat reporter for the Boston Herald, shared photos of New England gear on site at the Super Bowl in the San Francisco area and there aren’t many options for fans looking to buy Patriots gear.
CBS national NFL reporter Jonathan Jones pointed out that a jersey purchased 10 years ago not only had better quality — it was cheaper, too.
A jersey bought today is a more expensive and worse product than, say, 10 years ago, and there’s no reason for it beyond greed. People spend good money and deserve better. Maybe this embarrassment will force this company to simply be better. https://t.co/IScsmgVZyG
The Patriots’ official pro shop posted a picture of its jersey options on Monday, and several X users pointed out that the Super Bowl LX patch location was different for each jersey.
Why are the Super Bowl patches in completely different spots on each jerseys?
Seahawks fans are also complaining about the lack of availability for jerseys. But Fanatics appears to have plenty, as long as you want one in a color that the team has never worn or one that is not a replica of team-worn gear.
Thx 4 the response but the "whites" are not replica to "game" jerseys. Ur product makes the photo unflattering. Where are the sleeve details that match the blue jerseys? Why do they look different between home and away if they are replica? No issues with the Blues its the whites. https://t.co/JnxlSOLEYOpic.twitter.com/07cz5k914H
This is hardly the first time Fanatics faced backlash for the quantity and quality of its products.
Eagles fans also had a hard time finding the team’s jerseys ahead of its Super Bowl LVII appearance, when, as with the Seahawks this year, the only jerseys available with a game patch were in a non-team color (silver) — not white, green, or even black. It was a problem again for Super Bowl LIX. One fan pointed out that even when his jersey did arrive, well after the 2023 title game, it featured a crooked number.
2022 Super Bowl every single Eagles SB jersey Fanatics sent out had crooked numbers (example below) & they were not even made available by Fanatics until after the game was over
Last year (LIX) you couldnt keep up w/ demand & stuff sold out instantly
SAN FRANCISCO — On Feb. 4, 2025, Quentin Grimes finished a shootaround in Philly as a Dallas Maverick and then, while at the team hotel, became a 76er.
“Well, I’m already here,” Grimes recalled thinking back then. “I don’t have to go far at all.”
The 25-year-old guard is coming up on one year since he changed teams during a whirlwind trade deadline. In the months since then, Grimes has put up career numbers while the Sixers tanked to end last season. He went through a messy restricted free agency before signing a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer. And he has navigated an up-and-down 2025-26 season as a sixth man before he can enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Entering Thursday’s trade deadline, Grimes’ expiring contract comes with a massive caveat — that he can veto any proposed deal. When asked Monday if he envisions any scenario that he would approve a deal, Grimes responded, “Nah, I haven’t even thought about that.” But Grimes does feel some relief that he will not be caught off guard by any move.
“It’s a little different now,” Grimes said Monday before the Sixers’ 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. “Because nothing’s going to happen unexpectedly on my [end].”
Another reason Grimes might not waive that no-trade clause? That would cause him to lose his “Bird” rights, which allow a team to re-sign its own players for a higher salary. So unless Grimes viewed a potential landing spot as an ideal long-term fit, he likely wouldn’t approve a deal.
Grimes is averaging 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and one steal in 46 games. The dip in role and production from last season, when he averaged 21.9 points in 28 games with the Sixers, is understandable. When he arrived after the trade with Dallas, the Sixers put the ball in Grimes’ hands as a leading scorer while the bulk of the roster was injured and the organization transitioned to vying for a high draft pick.
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes is averaging 13.0 points in a reserve role this season.
After looking like an NBA Sixth Man of the Year contender early this season, Grimes hit shooting ruts for stretches of December and January. He has connected on just 26% of his three-point attempts in his past 14 games. Sixers coach Nick Nurse last month publicly floated the idea of putting Grimes in the starting lineup to try to jump-start his play, though that never materialized.
Now, though, Grimes is in line for more immediate opportunity after starting wing Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Nurse said the Sixers need Grimes’ consistently “great effort” as a perimeter defender, where George was such an important tone-setter. Ditto for Grimes’ scoring punch off the bench. Nurse added that he wants Grimes to increase his three-point attempts beyond the 5.5 he averages this season and certainly more than the 3.5 in his past 11 games.
Nurse also noted Grimes’ ability to play double-digit-minute stretches, typically to join the lineups featuring the starters that close both halves.
“That’s possible if he’s in his groove a little bit,” Nurse said. “We’ve just got to help him get back to that.”
Grimes has flashed that impact during the first two games of the Sixers’ Western Conference road trip.
He scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting — including a nasty dunk — and added four assists in Monday’s victory over the Clippers. The next night, in a 113-94 win at the Golden State Warriors, Grimes finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He mixed sharp drives to the basket with step-back three-pointers. And he was a key component of the Sixers’ bench unit that built a 15-point second-quarter lead and helped put the game away in the final period.
Quentin Grimes is in line for more playing time after the 25-game suspension of Paul George.
“Kind of getting back into a rhythm,” Grimes said when asked about his goals before the mid-February All-Star break, “how I kind of was early in the season.”
Grimes’ first full season with the Sixers comes after both sides were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract in restricted free agency. The barren leaguewide market, a product of the new collective bargaining agreement and its “apron” penalties, meant Grimes did not receive an offer sheet from another team that he could have used as leverage. Since signing the one-year qualifying offer in October, Grimes has switched his representation to CAA.
Last year reminded Grimes that “things happen quick” at the trade deadline. This year, he knows he will not be caught off guard by a deal while at the Sixers’ Los Angeles-area hotel heading into Thursday.
Yet even after last year’s chaotic move, Grimes is content that he wound up with the Sixers.
“I didn’t know if it worked out at the time,” he said, “but it kind of worked out in the end.”
It was a huge game against a team above them in the standings, but also on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture. The win moved the Flyers within seven points of the Metropolitan Division’s third spot, currently held by the New York Islanders, and the Boston Bruins, who are sitting in eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Orange and Black had more energy, held off a surge by the Capitals in the third, and were able to snag the all-important two points.
Here are three things to know from the win that saw the Flyers score four goals for just the second time since beating the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.
Matvei Michkov played almost 16 minutes
Hitting the ice just minutes after general manager Danny Brière spoke about the latest Michkov-Rick Tocchet discourse, the Russian winger played 15 minutes, 54 seconds across 21 shifts. It was the highest total since he played a little over 16 minutes against the New York Islanders on Jan. 26 and his 12th-most minutes this season.
Michkov averaged 45-second shifts after he averaged 34 on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, when he played a controversial 10:21. Was it a point of focus to have him take longer shifts?
“Yeah, a little bit,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “We talked yesterday, too, a little bit about if you feel like staying, get out there. Obviously, if you’re winded, get off. But, I thought he was moving.”
Michkov played well at times. He set up Bobby Brink for a chance late in the third and was a key contributor to Owen Tippett’s goal that opened the scoring just under six minutes into the game, marking the 19th time in 55 games that the Flyers scored first — and their 11th win.
On the goal, Trevor Zegras gained the zone and dished to Michkov, who carried the puck around the net. He took it around and up the right boards before threading the needle through two Capitals to Travis Sanheim at the left point. The defenseman then threaded the needle himself to Tippett in the right circle before the forward went across the crease and scored on the backhand.
“We knew we would have a little bit of room coming out of the corners there,” Tippett said. “I think that was a great pass to find Sanny, and Sanny made a great play to kind of calm it down and pass it right back to me.”
In hindsight — and after taking a deep breath from a busy night — Dan Vladař should have gotten one of the three stars of the game from this reporter.
The Czech goalie stopped 26 of 28 shots to win his 17th game of the season. He raised his save percentage to .904 and dropped his goal-against average to the 10th-best in the NHL (2.49) among goalies who have played at least 20 games.
Flyers goalie Dan Vladar (left) helped lift Owen Tippett and the Flyers to a much-needed win.
He allowed two goals — one a short-handed goal by Aliaksei Protas and the other a rebound goal by Anthony Beauvillier, who was left all alone in front. But while the team was facing some adversity, Vladař was pumping them up, too.
“He’s a leader,” said Tocchet, adding that while Vladař doesn’t wear a letter — goalies aren’t allowed — for him, he has one.
“I forget when he came by our bench [but] he said, ‘Guys, why are you guys holding your head down? Let’s go here.’ And I love that. It’s good to hear that. He’s our goalie, and [has] a lot of character. He’s been like that all year.”
Vladař was solid in net. In the first period, he made a save with 15:53 left, sliding across to rob Dylan Strome on a power play. Later in the frame, while shorthanded, he stopped Strome again as the puck popped up and he swiped it away with some help from his defenseman, Travis Sanheim, who swiped it further away — but he won’t be doing that in a few days.
“We play him in Game 1, too. I won’t be helping him out like I did,” he joked, noting that Sanheim’s Canada squad will be taking on Vladař and the Czechs on Feb. 12 (10:40 a.m.)
In the third period, he stopped Brandon Duhaime’s shot after Rasmus Ristolainen couldn’t get the puck out, and with six attackers on for the Capitals, off a faceoff deep in the Flyers’ end, Vladař stopped an Alex Ovechkin slapshot. It was one of nine low-danger shots he faced; however, according to Natural Stat Trick, he did see seven high-danger shots.
“That’s one thing that you cannot really control as a goalie,” he said about facing high-danger shots. “You’re there to stop the puck, no matter where the shots are coming from. Mentality is still the same for me, trying to keep as many as I can out of the net. And then having the confidence in the group that I think that we can be scoring two or three every single night.”
Jamie Drysdale (9) has helped power-play goals become a recent and much sought-after habit for the Flyers.
A power-play goal!
Jamie Drysdale has been on and off the power play all season, but lately he’s been getting power-play time. On Tuesday, he finally got on the board.
Zegras got the puck in the corner and threw a reverse hit into Martin Fehérváry to create time and space for himself. He skated up, utilized that time and space to find Drysdale as he slid into the spot atop the circles and fired off the one-timer that popped off the top of the pad of goalie Clay Stevenson and in.
The goal is Drysdale’s fourth of the season and first on the man advantage, giving him five power-play points.
“I think I had my chances, to be honest with you, I just couldn’t put the puck in the net,” Drysdale said. “Guys did a great job of finding me and finding holes, and it was nice to see one go in.”
Philly went 1-for-3 and has now scored on the man advantage for three straight games (3-for-8).
“Well, I like the shot by Jamie. That’s what we need is that … three feet [off the ground shot],” Tocchet said, using his hands to show the amount. “It’s that hard [shot] so we can get a tip on it. I think sometimes our shots are a little high, blocker side, and we talked about, before the power play, what we wanted, and we executed.
“I thought Trevor did a really nice job, like he was excellent. He went low. He body positioned the guy, the guy goes down, he doesn’t do that, maybe they get the puck out. So Trevor did a nice job to set that play up, and then obviously, Jamie, that’s the shots we need.”
To judge the move in more definitive terms would be irresponsible given the amount of time that still remains between now and Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The final verdict depends on what happens next. If nothing happens next, then, yeah, the Sixers’ decision to jettison their promising 2024 first-round pick will rank somewhere on a spectrum between “underwhelming” and “foolish.” If their primary motivation was to duck below the luxury tax yet again, it will be a level beyond foolish. It will be criminal.
That being said, there are a lot of other ifs in play, many of them more plausible than Daryl Morey viewing a legitimate asset as a cost-savings vehicle. The NBA’s in-season hot stove is sizzling right now. The Mavericks traded All-Star center Anthony Davis to the Wizards, thereby finalizing their aggregate return for Luka Doncic at a grand total of three first-round picks, each of which is more likely to be closer to No. 30 than to No. 1. Trade rumors continue to circulate around Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, with suitors like the Timberwolves and Heat jockeying to present Milwaukee with an offer that will convince it to strike a deal now rather than wait for the offseason. There are a lot of dominoes left to fall, and the Sixers could easily end up toppling one — or being one.
As of Wednesday night, there were no indications that the Sixers were gearing up to make a legitimate run at acquiring Giannis, who was previously reported to be intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. Such a move would almost certainly require the Sixers to part with rookie star V.J. Edgecombe. That’s a move they almost certainly will not do.
But the Sixers could easily end up involved on the periphery of the Giannis talks. If Minnesota is determined/desperate to add Giannis, then it would presumably need to be desperate/determined to acquire the first-round picks that the Bucks would require (the Timberwolves don’t have much in the way of draft capital to trade). Minnesota’s determination/desperation creates some intriguing possibilities for a third team that does have first-round picks it can trade. The dream scenario would be someone like young sweet-shooting big man Naz Reid becoming available. A more realistic opportunity could come in the form of former Villanova-turned-Knicks-turned-Timberwolves grinder Donte DiVincenzo.
I’m throwing those names out there mostly as for-instances. The world remains Morey’s oyster until the clock strikes 3 p.m. EST on Thursday.
After less than two seasons with the Sixers, Jared McCain is saying goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love — and fans are saying goodbye to McCain, who was a favorite for rookie of the year last season before suffering a knee injury.
“Mom how good was Jared McCain during his rookie year before getting injured” pic.twitter.com/wYt7f4BsZR
But it wasn’t just his presence on the court that Sixers fans were falling in love with. McCain also made a name for himself on social media, boasting 4.9 million followers on TikTok and 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
So it’s no surprise that Philly fans took to social media to express their condolences about the trade. That’s right, condolences. Sixers fans are mourning the trade and reluctantly saying farewell to McCain in the process.
The fact that Sam Presti wants Jared McCain is a reason not to trade Jared McCain https://t.co/A8EAX9YyTL
I would guess that this is setting up another move, though. If part of the calculus here was ducking the tax, that’s outrageous https://t.co/ta3KRTdUZn
Bulls trading Coby White, Mike Conley Jr. to the Hornets: ESPN
Just in: The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NnHXT5b8lR
Sixers trading Jared McCain to the Thunder for draft picks
The Sixers are trading Jared McCain to the Thunder.
Jared McCain’s tenure with the 76ers is over.
A source confirmed the team is trading the second-year guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round selections. One of the second-rounders is the 2027 most favorable pick from the Oklahoma City, Houston, Indiana Pacers, and the Miami Heat. The other second-rounders are the 2028 Milwaukee Bucks and 2028 Thunder picks.
McCain averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.8% on three-pointers in 37 games this season. Moving the 21-year-old also enabled the Sixers to free up an additional roster spot and get below the luxury tax threshold.
The Sixers are just $1.2 million above the tax threshold after receiving $5.8 million in tax-variance credit due to Paul George’s 25-game unpaid suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. Now, they’re $3 million below after getting rid of McCain’s $4.2 million salary.
McCain had his rookie season cut short because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. And on top of that December 2024 injury, he had the start of this season delayed after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in September.
The 16th pick of the 2024 draft averaged 10.0 points while making 38.1% on his three-pointers in 60 career games with the Sixers.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i
An NBA trade deadline week stunner. Clearly, the Wizards have completed their deconstruction phase and are now moving toward Young and Davis leading a rising young core. Washington has turned its previous Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma trades into Young, Davis and five pick swaps.
Can Sixers counter moves by other Eastern Conference teams?
The Sixers could use immediate help due to Paul George’s suspension.
The Eastern Conference remains tightly packed, with three games separating the second-place New York Knicks and sixth-place 76ers entering Wednesday.
Eastern Conference standings
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And some of the teams above the Sixers have already begun bolstering their roster, with more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s deadline.
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for former Sixer James Harden, sending All-Star Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Boston Celtics shored up their center spot by acquiring Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons. And the Detroit Pistons, who remain comfortably at the top of the conference, added sharpshooter Kevin Huerter in exchange for Jaden Ivey.
How could the Sixers counter? Their roster is tricky with three players on max contracts, including the suspended Paul George. His absence means the Sixers could use immediate help at the wing or in the frontcourt.
The Bucks are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 10 games below .500 and completely out of the playoff picture. Hopes for a second-half turnaround seem fleeting under Doc Rivers, who’s barely been a .500 coach (84-82) in his two-and-a-half seasons with the Bucks.
“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said.
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, when they were Sixers teammates in 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO – Tyrese Maxey did not need to join the speculation about James Harden being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Maxey could just call his former teammate.
“I talked to him [Monday] a bit about it,” Maxey said following the 76ers’ win at the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. “Hey, look, if he’s happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”
When Harden missed his second consecutive game for personal reasons on Monday against the Sixers, reports of a deal percolating between the Clippers and Cavaliers surfaced during the matchup. The trade, which also sends Darius Garland to Los Angeles, became official Tuesday as part of a flurry of moves about 48 hours before the deadline. It was a stunning turn of events, given the Clippers are in the midst of a massive turnaround and Harden was playing at a borderline All-Star level, averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 44 games.
But the Sixers and Maxey are plenty familiar with Harden forcing his way off a team. It is how he wound up leaving Philly for the Clippers as part of a blockbuster trade early in the 2023-24 season, after the Sixers would not offer him a long-term extension in the summer of 2023. The Sixers acquired Harden at the 2022 trade deadline in a massive deal that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.
Still, Maxey and Harden remain close. On the court, Maxey called Harden “somebody who elevates the people that he played with,” and expects him to provide the same to a Cavaliers team that entered Wednesday a half-game up on the Sixers for fifth place in a crowded middle of the Eastern Conference standings.
“He does James Harden stuff,” Maxey said. “He’s a dynamic player with playoff experience. Knows how to play the game. Knows how to get guys involved. Take some pressure off of D. Mitch [Donovan Mitchell], for sure, and get those other guys – [Evan] Mobley, [Jarrett] Allen, [Jaylon] Tyson – easy shots.”
Sixers light on trade assets beyond Maxey and Edgecombe
Tyrese Maxey with teammate VJ Edgecombe.
Aside from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets needed to acquire the type of player who could drastically improve the team via a trade. And the Sixers aren’t going to trade either player.
Joel Embiid is once again playing at an elite level, averaging 29.3 points over the last 15 games. However, he has an extensive injury history and a three-year, $193 million contract extension that kicks in next season. While he looks great at the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty concerning how he’ll hold up in the future.
Meanwhile, Paul George has a tough contract to move after signing a four-year, $211.5 million deal in July 2024. At this stage of his career, he’s recognized as a fourth option on a championship team. Yet George is being paid as a top-two player. As a result, it’s hard to justify taking on his salary at this time.
And since the Sixers aren’t going to trade Maxey or Edgecombe, they shouldn’t forfeit their future by surrendering draft picks to facilitate a trade. They’ll need those picks to acquire young talent and continue building around Maxey and Edgecombe after Embiid and George leave Philly.
What’s the Sixers top priority: upgrading the roster or saving money?
Daryl Morey, the Sixers President of basketball operations, with head coach Nick Nurse in 2024.
Last Week, Joel Embiid expressed his desire to avoid the Sixers’ annual salary dump at the trade deadline to avoid paying the luxury tax.
“So hopefully we keep the same team,” Embiid said on Thursday. “I love all of the guys that are here. I think we’ve got a shot.
“I don’t know what [the front office is] going to do. But I hope that we get a chance to go out there and compete because we’ve got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great.”
The team is just $1.2 million over the luxury tax threshold, thanks to a $5.8 million tax variance credit because of George’s unpaid suspension, during which he will lose $11.7 million.
Before George’s suspension, the Sixers were $7 million over the tax threshold and were expected to trade away at least one expiring contract. While the Sixers are still expected to make some type of move, they can keep all three of the players — Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million salary), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) — who had expiring contracts that could have helped them duck the tax.
Will Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo end up on another team by the trade deadline?
It’s unclear if the Milwaukee Bucks will trade away Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there are at least four teams seriously interested in landing the two-time MVP, according to multiple reports – Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks
The question is whether those offers are large enough for a team to land the “Greek Freak.” According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, they’re not, meaning “this saga looked likely to extend into the summertime.”
In one proposed trade by ESPN’s NBA insiders, the Bucks would send Antetokounmpo to Philadelphia for Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and two unprotected first-round picks. Fun, but it appears unlikely the Sixers are willing to part with their rookie phenom.
Three former Sixers players part of deals ahead of NBA trade deadline
James Harden is heading to Cleveland in a swap for point guard Darius Garland.
James Harden to the Cavaliers (per ESPN): The one-time Sixers star/disappointment is on the move again, this time heading to Cleveland in a swap for two-time All-Star Darius Garland. Cleveland is also reportedly sending a second-round pick to the Clippers for Harden, who will join Donovan Mitchell on the court with the goal of advancing past the second round of the playoffs.
Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics (per AP): Boston gets frontcourt depth in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons. The two teams are also reportedly swapping second-round picks. Vucevic, whom the Sixers took in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, spent the past five and a half seasons with the Bulls.
Kevin Huerter headed to Detroit (per ESPN): The Pistons added some depth in a four-player, three-team deal that will also send former Sixers fan favorite Dario Saric (“The Homie”) to Detroit. The Pistons will also reportedly get a 2026 first-round protected draft pick swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose main motivation is to create salary space. The third team in the deal, the Chicago Bulls, get Mike Conley Jr. and Jaden Ivey.
Boston Celtics post player Chris Boucher is a player the Sixers are reported to have some “exploratory” interest in, according to a HoopsHype report.
A source downplayed the interest in the reserve power forward/center, who has appeared in only nine games this season with the Boston Celtics, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes.
However, he flourished in the last seven seasons as a reserve glue guy for the Toronto Raptors. Sixers coach Nick Nurse was Raptors coach during Boucher’s first five seasons in Toronto. Nurse was able to get the best out of the undersized post player, who averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 406 games as a Raptor.
Boucher signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with Boston for $3.2 million, with a cap hit of $2.2 million.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 assists in his rookie season.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but the Sixers aren’t going to trade VJ Edgecombe for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor should they. Which also shouldn’t need to be said.
Just in case, let’s say it again.
No Edgecombe for Giannis. No Edgecombe for anyone. No Edgecombe at the trade deadline. No Edgecombe in the offseason.
No Edgecombe, know peace.
To be clear, this isn’t about Giannis, who’s in the midst of the most efficient season of his career, by virtually every measure.
This is purely about Edgecombe. To understand his immense present and future value, you have to watch him on the court. It’s incredibly rare for a 20-year-old rookie to average 35.6 minutes per night for a team that is six games over .500 and has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run. It’s even rarer for said rookie to do it with the maturity and grace that Edgecombe exhibits at both ends of the court. And it’s rarer still for a rookie to possess that veteran-level basketball IQ while also possessing such an electric athletic upside.
Sources have said the Sixers are open to trading veteran center Andre Drummond.
Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million salary): Before Paul George’s 25 game suspension, Oubre’s was viewed as the Sixers’ most tradable contract — especially if the front office was instructed to get under the luxury tax. Now he is vital to the current roster as a tenacious wing defender and offensive player who can slash to the basket — and he has upped his three-point percentage.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million): This comes with a massive asterisk because Grimes has the power to veto any trade after signing a one-year qualifying offer in October. Additionally, any trade approved by Grimes would relinquish his’ “Bird” rights, which allow teams to offer their own players a higher salary in free agency. So unless the new destination appears to be an ideal long-term fit, it is unlikely Grimes would sign off on any trade-deadline move and instead enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Andre Drummond ($5 million): What once looked like a resurgent Drummond season has turned into an odd role for the 14-year veteran. He starts whenever Joel Embiid sits out for injury or load-management reasons, and does not play at all when Embiid is in the lineup. That theoretically makes Drummond expendable — and perhaps the most likely (fringe) rotation player to depart at the deadline.
Eric Gordon ($3.6 million): Gordon, on the tail end of a successful career, has played in only six games in his second season as a Sixer. Trading the 37-year-old in a salary-dump move would open up an additional roster spot that could be used to sign Dominick Barlow or Jabari Walker to a standard NBA contract. One wrinkle: Gordon is close with rookie standout VJ Edgecombe, who played with Gordon on the Bahamian national team.
Kyle Lowry ($3.6 million): Lowry is in his 20th NBA season. Like Gordon, he is on a veteran minimum contract. It feels less likely that the Sixers would let go of the Philly native and former Villanova star, given his primarily off-the-court role as a respected leader in the locker room and on the bench.
SAN FRANCISCO — Jalen Hurts said the flag football played in the Pro Bowl Games doesn’t have the negative connotation that it may have once had.
If anything, Hurts believes the NFL’s all-star exhibition is as competitive as ever.
“It is like being a kid again but it also turns competitive with everything’s that at stake,” the Eagles quarterback said after throwing three touchdown passes in the NFC’s 66-52 win over the AFC on Tuesday night. “Even with the (2028) Olympics, there’s a lot of guys that have a great passion to go out there and represent.”
There was plenty of representation from both sides in the high-scoring event, which was played indoors this year at the Moscone Center — a convention center near downtown San Francisco — before a crowd of 3,100.
It was the first time the Pro Bowl was held during Super Bowl week, and the host city was well represented, with 49ers greats Jerry Rice and Steve Young — who have a combined 20 Pro Bowl selections — serving as head coaches. The Super Bowl is Sunday at the 49ers’ home, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Dak Prescott of the Cowboys wore a bucket hat and passed for four touchdowns, while the Lions’ Jared Goff threw two TD passes.
For the AFC, the Bengals’ Joe Burrow threw for a touchdown and was credited with a passing and receiving score on the same play when he and Dolphins running back De’Von Achane pulled off a trick play in the first half.
It was a good day all around for Burrow and his Bengals teammates.
Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins caught touchdown pass from Burrow’s backup, Joe Flacco, while receiver Ja’Marr Chase had a highlight on defense — a one-handed interception of Goff that he returned 50 yards for a TD.
Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders started for the AFC and threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders was a late addition to the event as the replacement for Drake Maye, who’s preparing to lead the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Broncos tackle Garrett Bolles got in on the fun, catching one of Sanders’ TD throws.
Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow on Monday, but spring training waits for no groundhog.
The Phillies’ trucks have been loaded with gear, including thousands of baseballs and one hot dog launcher, and have begun their journey toward Clearwater, Fla. Camp is set to open on Feb. 11, officially starting the long buildup toward October.
Here’s everything to know about Phillies spring training this year:
First spring training game: Feb. 21 at Blue Jays (Dunedin, Fla.)
Spring training home opener: Feb. 22 vs. Pirates (Clearwater)
World Baseball Classic:
Last spring training game: March 23 vs. Rays (Clearwater)
Opening day: March 26 vs. Rangers, 4:05 p.m., Citizens Bank Park
The Phillies’ biggest moves of the offseason were bringing back two members of their core: Kyle Schwarber (right), and J.T. Realmuto.
What additions did the Phillies make?
It was really more about the addition they didn’t make.
When the Phillies went to sleep on Jan. 15, they believed Bo Bichette would be in their lineup for seven seasons after they agreed to his $200 million asking price. By lunchtime on Jan. 16, he signed with the Mets. Dave Dombrowski described it as a “gut punch,” even though the former Blue Jays shortstop wasn’t a consideration for the Phillies until after the holidays.
They prioritized bringing back Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, and after signing the former to a five-year, $150 million contract in mid-December, they made an offer to the latter. Talks with Realmuto stalled over money, and the Phillies began considering alternatives. Bichette expressed an interest in switching positions and met with the Phillies over Zoom on Jan. 12.
The Phillies are counting on outfielder Adolis García to rebound from a down 2025 season with the Rangers.
Which new Phillie is most intriguing for 2026?
Lauber: Does Justin Crawford count as “new?” Oh, OK, we’ll get to him later. In that case, García. In 2023, he hit 39 homers, got down-ballot MVP votes, and dominated the postseason for the World Series champion Rangers. The Phillies bet on bouncebacks last year from Max Kepler and Jordan Romano and went bust. Will their latest free-agent gamble work out better?
March: Keller. The right-hander had been a starter for most of his career before his breakout season last year as a high-leverage reliever for the Cubs, and he has retained his starter’s arsenal of four-seam, sinker, slider, changeup, and sweeper. That, plus a jump of over 3 mph on his fastball in 2025, makes him an intriguing back-end option in the Phillies’ bullpen.
What did the rest of the NL East do this offseason?
Rooting for the Mets must feel like riding the Coney Island Cyclone. And the last few months surely left fans nauseous, dizzy, and uncertain if they’re really satisfied.
Consider: After going from a 5½-game lead in the division to missing the playoffs in a three-month collapse for the ages last season, the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil and didn’t re-sign Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso. New Yorkers lost their minds, sure that president of baseball ops David Stearns misplaced his.
But the Mets signed Bichette, relievers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Luis García, first baseman Jorge Polanco, and center fielder Luis Robert Jr., and traded for second baseman Marcus Semien along with ace Freddy Peralta and swingman Tobias Myers.
Are the Mets different? Oh yeah. Are they better? We’ll see.
The Braves hired a new manager (Walt Weiss) and bulked up the bullpen with Robert Suarez and the return of closer Raisel Iglesias. They re-signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (out until at least May after hand surgery), traded for utility man Mauricio Dubón, and signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.
Two other big moves: The Marlins acquired 23-year-old outfielder Owen Caissie from the Cubs for right-handed starter Edward Cabrera; the Nationals traded top-of-the-rotation lefty MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers, plunging Washington even further into a rebuild under a new, ultra-young front office (36-year-old president Paul Toboni) and manager (33-year-old Blake Butera).
— Lauber
The Mets’ busy offseason included trading for Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.
Which NL East addition will have the biggest impact?
Lauber: Bichette. What, you expected a different answer? If nothing else, the drama will be delicious when Bichette makes his first visit to Philly (June 18-21, by the way). But he’s also a terrific hitter who will be learning a new position on the second-largest payroll in baseball. Get your popcorn ready.
March: Peralta. The collapse of the Mets’ starting rotation was one of the main contributors to their free-fall out of playoff contention at the end of last season. With the Brewers in 2025, the right-hander had a 2.70 ERA over 176⅔ innings and posted the most wins in the National League (17-6). Peralta finished fifth in Cy Young voting and is now positioned to lead the Mets’ rotation.
Zack Wheeler’s return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery is still to be determined.
What are the top Phillies storylines this spring?
Lauber: A year ago, Zack Wheeler would have been my choice to start one game for all the marbles. (Yes, over even Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes.) Wheeler is now five months removed from thoracic outlet decompression surgery. Every time he picks up a ball in spring training will be newsworthy, not only in determining when he will return to competition but what he looks like when he does. Will he still be an ace of aces?
March: Andrew Painter has been a top storyline for many springs now, from teenage phenom with a chance to make the team to his road back from Tommy John surgery. Well, he’s back now. Painter pitched 118 innings in 2025, all in the minors, never receiving the major league call-up expected in “July-ish.” This will finally be his first normal spring since 2023, and there is a rotation spot up for grabs. Will he earn it?
What’s the Phillies’ biggest roster decision?
Lauber: Although the decision to commit to Crawford was made early in the offseason, it’s about to play out in real time. At 22, he would be the youngest outfielder to make a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. As the Phillies turn over the keys to center field, Crawford will be at the center of attention.
March: The Phillies stocked up on potential bullpen depth this winter, making a host of minor league deals, a few trades, and a Rule 5 selection of McCambley. Six reliever spots are likely spoken for, barring injury: lefties José Alvarado and Tanner Banks, and righties Jhoan Duran, Keller, Orion Kerkering, and Bowlan. There will be some stiff competition for the final two spots.
Shortstop prospect Aidan Miller should also get some work at third base this spring.
Which prospect should fans look out for?
Lauber: As you watch Crawford and Painter, don’t take your eyes off Aidan Miller. The Phillies intend to expose the 22-year-old shortstop to third base in spring training, but it will be interesting to see how much third he actually plays — and how fast they push him if he starts hot in triple A and/or Alec Bohm falters again in April.
March: Gabriel Rincones Jr. made a big impression last spring with a couple of towering home runs. The outfielder was added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft, and he could get a major league look at some point in 2026. Rincones, who will be 25 next month, struggles against left-handed pitching, so any opportunity would likely be in a strict platoon. But he has some big power potential against righties.
About 50 years ago, paging through the Sunday Inquirer, you would find it stuffed with man’s-world staples — stories on the NFL, NHL, pro and college basketball.
But on Page 16 on Nov. 28, 1976, sandwiched between two men’s basketball previews, a headline read: “Move over guys, here comes another Top 20 poll.”
Conceived by Inquirer sports editor Jay Searcy and nurtured by Mel Greenberg, the poll gained popularity and became a building block in the growth of women’s basketball.
It took 28 years after the inception of the Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll for the women to get one. Most newspapers and TV stations ignored women’s basketball coverage.
But if there was a hotbed, it was the Philadelphia area, from Immaculata dominating the AIAW days of the ’70s to the Norristown-raised Geno Auriemma creating a dynasty at UConn.
In 1978, the AP began distributing Greenberg’s women’s basketball poll. In 1994, Greenberg ceded its compilation to the AP. The poll was a cornerstone of the game.
While Sixers center Joel Embiid was not chosen as an All-Star Game reserve, he still could be added as an injury replacement.
Joel Embiid is content with spending his All-Star break on a family vacation, instead of at the game, after he was not selected as an Eastern Conference reserve. The Sixers center said he doesn’t need “any validation from anybody,” but he still could be named an injury replacement, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf strain. His teammates and coach, though, were a bit surprised that Embiid was not among those selected, considering his production in recent weeks.
The Sixers should approach this week with the intention of ensuring that a roster spot is available to convert Dominick Barlow to a standard contract. His career-high 26 points and 16 rebounds in Monday’s win against Clippers proved that the Sixers need to keep him around.
What we’re …
⏱️ Counting down: The days until baseball begins as the Phillies loaded their spring training truck on Tuesday.
🤔 Wondering: Will Roger Goodell and the NFL expand the regular season to 18 games? The commissioner says it’s “not a given.”
🏀 Learning: With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline looming, can the Sixers realistically replace Paul George? Here are six questions the team faces.
📖 Reading: A former Temple soccer player turned football kicker got the Seahawks on the board in their first NFL season. But he made his name playing the accordion.
Christian Elliss has had an impactful playoff run for a Patriots team that has retained his services through three coaching regimes.
Christian Elliss was cut from an NFL roster six times in the first two seasons of his career — five times by the Eagles. The last time was at the end of the 2023 season: “They didn’t see me as piece for them. But luckily Bill [Belichick] did.”
The linebacker went from tears after the Eagles cut him to joy with a Patriots team that has made him a key part of its defense, and it has landed him back in the Super Bowl.
Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Tuesday that Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet have “a good relationship” and that this is all part of the learning process for the young winger.
Much of the talk in Flyers Land the past few weeks has been about Matvei Michkov, his lack of ice time, and whether coach Rick Tocchet is the right coach for his long-term development.
That speculation reached a climax on Sunday at the Flyers’ Carnival, after Tocchet doubled down on his previous revelation that Michkov showed up to training camp out of shape and is still fighting to catch up. On Tuesday, Flyers general manager Danny Brière met with the media to refute any potential rift between the Russian winger and his head coach. Here’s what he had to say.
Trevor Zegras prefers to play center. Entering Flyers training camp, the consensus from the player and the front office was that Zegras would get a chance back at his natural position. However, that hasn’t been the case — until recently. Tuesday marked the third straight game with Zegras playing down the middle.
If all goes well, the 24-year-old could help solve one of the organization’s biggest issues. Time will tell, and for now, Rick Tocchet is sticking with it.
On the ice, the Flyers snapped their four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Jamie Drysdale scored the go-ahead goal in the third period.
Bryce Harper and the Phillies will soon be getting back to work at their spring training home in Clearwater, Fla.
Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow on Monday, but spring training waits for no groundhog.
The Phillies’ trucks have been loaded with gear, including thousands of baseballs and one hot dog launcher, and have begun their journey toward Clearwater, Fla. Camp is set to open on Feb. 11, officially starting the long buildup toward October.
Sean Mannion’s former coaches predict he will be “a home run hire” for Eagles.
While some may be skeptical about of the Eagles’ hiring of Sean Mannion at offensive coordinator, his former coaches say he’s “a home run hire.” Take a look at who said it here.
What you’re saying about Philly’s best first-round pick
We asked: Who was the best first-round pick ever in Philadelphia sports? Among your responses:
With the fourth overall pick in 2013, Lane Johnson, University of Oklahoma. He has led the Eagles 3 Super Bowl appearances and 2 Championships. A cornerstone of the offensive line, the team does not excel when he is not in the game. — Bob C.
Best first round draft pick EVER for all Philly sports teams was of course Wilt Chamberlain by the then Philly Warriors in 1959. Best 76er 1st round pick Allen Iverson 1996, best Phillies Cole Hamels 2002, best Eagles Chuck Bednarik 1949, Bob Brown 1964, & Lane Johnson 2013. And best 2nd round Bobby Clarke 1969, and Mike Schmidt 1971. — Everett S.
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson signs autographs before the game against the New York Giants on Oct. 9.
Without a doubt Bobby Clarke. Kind of sad that it happened over 50 years ago and they’ve never done better.— Tom M.
Hard to beat Lane Johnson. Foundational, dominant, long-standing with over a decade of elite performance leading to two Super Bowl victories. — John C.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Frank Fitzpatrick, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Jeff Neiburg, Matt Breen, Ryan Mack, Devin Jackson, Jackie Spiegel, Gabriela Carroll, Owen Hewitt, Jonathan Tannenwald, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Jeff McLane, and Ariel Simpson.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for getting your morning started with me. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and Kerith will catch back up with you on Thursday. — Bella
When it comes to the 2026 Phillies, the three most meaningful words in the human language ring true once again.
Follow the money.
Read the menu from right to left. There, you will find the players who will make the Phillies the team they need to be. Or, you will find the players who will deserve the blame if the Phillies prove not to be that team.
Zack Wheeler is making $42 million, which is the same amount the Mets will pay newcomer Bo Bichette. Kyle Schwarber is making $30 million, the same amount the Cubs will pay newcomer Alex Bregman. Aaron Nola is making $24.5 million, which is about $2.5 million less than the Blue Jays gave Dylan Cease and right in line with what the Padres gave Michael King. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are combining to make about $52.5 million, which is about $5 million less than the Dodgers have agreed to pay Kyle Tucker over the next four years.
Ok, that last one is absurd. But the Phillies are one of 29 teams who can’t compare to the Dodgers.
Anywhere east of Tinseltown, there is no room for excuses. The Phillies are on track to arrive at opening day with a payroll that is $21 million higher than the Braves, $52 million higher than the Cubs, $63 million higher than the Padres, and a whopping $157 million higher than the Brewers. They are a near lock to finish the season with one of the top five payrolls in the game. No, they aren’t the Dodgers ($387 million) or Mets ($363 million). But neither are the Yankees these days ($304 million).
The criticism must feel good to John Middleton, in a strange way. Two decades ago, he was part of an ownership consortium that oversaw one of MLB’s most underfunded rosters relative to market size/potential. His power play into a majority stake was motivated in large part by his desire to operate like a true economic powerhouse. The fan base has been thrilled to adjust its expectations upward. The way folks are questioning Middleton’s billionaire bona fides, you’d think he spent the offseason picking up shifts in the gig economy. It’s worth stating for the record that the Phillies have signed $227 million worth of new guaranteed contracts at an average annual value of $66 million, or nearly 25% of their payroll.
John Middleton’s Phillies will have one of the most expensive payrolls in the game.
I’m not licking any boots here. I understand that the criticism levied toward the Phillies is as much a function of makeup as money. The majority of the Phillies’ outlays this offseason have gone to incumbents, with Schwarber re-signing for five years and $150 million and J.T. Realmuto for three years and $45 million. The same was true last offseason, and the season before, when Nola and Wheeler both signed nine-figure deals. After two straight postseason one-and-dones, the impression is of a poker player doubling down while drawing dead.
One of the difficult parts of being a personnel executive is that a fan base is rarely careful what it wishes for. Middleton’s partiality to the familiar makes plenty of sense when you consider the Phillies’ recent history. The last time they bowed to the wishes of those chanting, “Blow it up,” the result was a lost decade. Creative destruction is a fine idea. But it had better be creative.
The Schwarber and Realmuto contracts are perfect examples. Would the Phillies have really been better off if they’d given Schwarber’s money to Bregman or Bichette? You can certainly make the argument. If the Phillies had non-tendered Alec Bohm and let Schwarber walk, they could have signed Bregman to play third base and then given Eugenio Suarez the one-year, $15 million deal he signed with the Reds to play designated hitter. Maybe then they don’t feel the need to pay $10 million for Adolis Garcia’s right-handed power bat and instead sign Luis Arraez (one-year, $12 million) or Ryan O’Hearn (two years, $29 million) and convince Harper to return to the outfield. Or maybe they sign Josh Naylor to play first base and let Realmuto walk.
So, yeah, there were options. Bregman, Suarez, and Naylor will earn about $65 million in AAV in 2026. Schwarber, Realmuto, Bohm, and Garcia will earn about $65 million in AAV in 2026.
Would the Phillies have been better off?
Maybe. But, man, there’s a whole lot of risk baked into maybe. Enough risk that it’s worth stepping back and asking what they’d be trying to accomplish. Neither combination is going to stack up to the Dodgers on its own. Just so happens the first combination has helped the Phillies improve their win total in each of the last four years while also winning 96 games and a division title in 2025. Neither combination will mean much if Harper takes another step backward, or if Wheeler doesn’t return from his blood clot as the same pitcher he was, or if Nola is the same pitcher he was last season, or if Turner is still something less than a guy who deserved $300-plus million.
The story of this offseason was the money the Phillies spent in previous offseasons. The incumbents are the ones who need to do the heavy lifting. That’s how it should be when the incumbents’ wallets are as heavy as the Phillies’. There is plenty of potential upside in the form of Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Gabriel Rincones Jr., even Otto Kemp. The floor will be set by the known commodities. This year more than ever, Harper and Co. need to make themselves known.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Christian Elliss was cut from an NFL roster six times in the first three seasons of his career — four times by the Eagles. The last one, on Dec. 6, 2023, stung the most.
“I remember just [being] on the phone with my dad, crying,” Elliss said. “I was like, ‘Dad, that’s the one that really broke me.’ Because I thought I was playing well. I knew I had the talent to play, but for whatever reason … I can’t remember.”
The reasons were complex. The Eagles were reeling and injuries and subpar play at linebacker had forced general manager Howie Roseman to sign veteran Shaquille Leonard. Elliss played mostly on special teams, but he was viewed as the low man at linebacker and was waived.
“Howie and who’s the head man over there …,” Elliss said before being reminded that Nick Sirianni was the Eagles’ head coach. “… and Nick, for whatever reason, they didn’t see me as a piece for them. But luckily Bill did.”
That was Bill Belichick, the former Patriots coach. Elliss was claimed off waivers by New England the next day. And he hasn’t left, despite the coaching turnover that went from Belichick to Jerod Mayo to Mike Vrabel since Elliss’ arrival.
Christian Elliss (53) was primarily a special-teamer in Philadelphia but has been a regular at linebacker for Mike Vrabel’s Patriots.
Getting cast off by the Eagles may have broken Elliss, but he has put himself back together over the last two-plus years. And he has been made whole into a starting linebacker on a Patriots team that has exceeded expectations and will face the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl LX.
Elliss, 27, may still have a chip on his shoulder. He and his wife, Kaysie, had two young children at the time, and he wasn’t sure about his future. But he said he now sees the silver lining in his sixth — and last — release.
“Honestly, me going to the Patriots was probably the best thing for me,” Elliss said. “I had vets that showed me the ropes. I had coaches that believed in me and wanted me there. I think New England is the perfect spot for me.”
Roseman probably regretted the decision. He had cut Elliss four times before, only to bring him back on the practice squad. But other NFL teams had about a season’s worth of film on the athletic linebacker, and not all of it as a member of all four special teams corps.
“We saw that he had some traits that we wanted to work with,” Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf said. “He had been productive on special teams for those guys, and when he had the opportunity to play on defense, he had been productive, especially in coverage.”
Elliss actually had started on defense for the first time in his career in the game before his release. He struggled in the blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he wasn’t the only one. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s scheme was like Swiss cheese, and he eventually got demoted.
But Roseman felt he needed to address the linebacker group at that time. He didn’t necessarily have to create a roster spot at that position, but he told Elliss if he cleared waivers, the Eagles would bring him back.
His calculation proved wrong.
“They did tell me that,” Elliss said. “But when I got six teams that wanted to claim me, that affirmed that, yeah, I can play.”
Christian Elliss (center) in his final game as an Eagle, which saw the defense gutted in a 42-19 loss to the 49ers.
Belichick had him work exclusively with special teams for the last month of the 2023 season. When the legendary coach left the Patriots in the offseason, Elliss had to convince another regime that he was worth keeping.
He made the 2024 roster as a backup and special teams contributor. But by Week 5, he started logging significant playing time on defense and became a regular the rest of the way. When Mayo was fired after the season, Elliss said he wasn’t expecting to return, though.
The Las Vegas Raiders made a play for the free agent. But because Elliss was restricted, the Patriots could match the two-year, $13.5 million offer. Vrabel and Wolf would remake most of New England’s front seven, but Elliss fit their vision and was retained.
“We felt that even though he reached free agency, he was still ascending,” Wolf said. “And he’s really just improved and improved. He’s a great kid. He plays really hard. He’s got some of the traits you can’t teach. He’s super fast. He’s explosive. He’s got great change of direction.”
There were initial struggles playing in a new scheme with new terminology in 2025. Elliss missed eight tackles in the first three games and was benched in the second half of the third game. But the Patriots stuck with him, and he steadily made progress.
“I think he took it to heart,” linebackers coach Zak Kuhr said of the benching. “He made some different personal changes with how he was going to view his position and his role. And credit to him and how he went about it.”
It has helped to have a head coach who played the position at a high level. Vrabel was a key cog in Belichick’s early Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams. He mostly played on the outside and often would rush from the edge, but he was open to moving inside to serve team needs.
Mike Vrabel has won the respect of the entire Patriots locker room, including Elliss, in his first year as New England’s head coach.
Elliss said Vrabel has instilled in the Patriots that same unselfish mentality.
“I’ve never had a coach where he’s truly a player’s coach, meaning he holds everyone to the same standard. Not everyone does that in the league,” Elliss said. “Everybody has favorites one way or another. It’s just human nature. But for him, he doesn’t let it show, at least on the field or at least in the building.
“He makes sure everyone’s held to the same standard. No one gets away with anything. If you’re BS-ing in practice, if you’re putting your own self above the team, he never lets that slide.”
Growing up third-oldest of 12 children — seven of whom were adopted — Elliss may have understood the importance of the collective more than most. He also comes from a football family. His father, Luther, played 10 seasons in the NFL, and his brothers Kaden, Noah, and Jonah also have played in the league.
Noah spent parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the Eagles as a practice squad defensive tackle. Christian and Jonah, a linebacker for the Denver Broncos, met in the AFC championship game. Their emotional embrace after the game touched many.
Only one could advance to the Super Bowl. Christian will be making his second appearance. He played 24 special teams snaps for the Eagles three years ago. He said he watched and rooted for his old team last year when it avenged the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl meeting.
Christian Elliss came up short while with the Eagles in his last Super Bowl appearance and has another shot at an elusive ring this Sunday.
Elliss might have flourished in Vic Fangio’s scheme. The Eagles had long undervalued linebackers, but the defensive coordinator has spearheaded an organizational shift with investments made in Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, for example.
Baun was instrumental in the defensive dominance of Kansas City. But the front four set the tone and harassed quarterback Patrick Mahomes into taking six sacks and committing three turnovers.
“Ball disruption. When you affect the quarterback, when you make him so he can’t set his feet and he’s always on his toes, it’s hard for them to produce,” Elliss said. “And I think the Eagles really did that well.”
Elliss should get opportunities to get after Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. He already has generated seven pressures in just 18 pass rush attempts this postseason. Two years ago, after his release, he was thinking more about survival than the Super Bowl.
“I was cut, I think, six, seven times in my early NFL career,” Elliss said. “And, honestly, I remember asking my dad, ‘Dad, is this meant for me? I don’t want to keep getting cut.’ It’s a terrible feeling, especially [because] I had two kids at the time. So that’s definitely hard.
“But I believe trials and tribulations produce endurance, they produce character. And I think it helped me in the long run.”
Don Bitterlich’s Chevy Caprice was loaded with everything he needed for his gig that night at an Italian restaurant in Northeast Philly: an accordion, a speaker, and a pair of black slacks.
He learned to play the accordion as a 7-year-old in Olney after his parents took him to a music shop on Fifth Street and he struggled to blow into a trumpet. His father pointed to the accordion, and Bitterlich played it everywhere from his living room on Sixth Street to Vitale’s on Saturday nights.
The owner of Vitale’s — a small restaurant with a bar near Bustleton and Cottman Avenues — paid Bitterlich $175 every Saturday. It was a lot of money for a college student in the 1970s. First, he had to finish football practice.
Bitterlich went to Temple on a soccer scholarship before football coach Wayne Hardin plucked him to be the placekicker. He never even watched a football game, but soccer coach Walter Bahr — the father of two NFL kickers — told Hardin that Bitterlich’s powerful left leg was fit for field goals.
Bitterlich went to football camp in the summer of 1973, while also playing soccer for Bahr and trying to keep up with his accordion. He had yet to officially make the football team that August, so there was no use in canceling his 10 p.m. Saturday gig at Vitale’s. Bitterlich was due to play there in 90 minutes, but the Owls had yet to include their kicker in practice. He was hoping to leave practice by 8:45 p.m., and it was almost time.
“I’m watching the clock,” Bitterlich said.
Don Bitterlich holds his Seahawks football card. He scored the first points in Seahawks history as a kicker.
He asked an assistant coach if the team was going to kick, and the coach shrugged him off. A half-hour later, he asked again. He had to go, Bitterlich said.
“He said, ‘Go where?’” Bitterlich said.
Bitterlich set records at Temple, played in an all-star game in Japan, was in his dorm when he was selected in the 1976 NFL draft, and scored the first-ever points for the Seattle Seahawks, who play Sunday in Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots.
He made it to the NFL despite knowing little about football until he became Temple’s kicker. It was a whirlwind, he said.
He really made his name with the accordion, the instrument he’s still playing more than 50 years after he had to rush to a gig from football practice.
He has long been a regular at German festivals, restaurants, banquets, and even marathons. A German club in the Northeast called Bitterlich “the hardest working accordion player in the world.” He played a gig on Sunday night in South Philly and another on Monday morning near Lancaster.
Bitterlich, 72, who worked as a civil engineer until retiring last year, said he played more than 100 gigs in 2025. Football stopped years ago, but the show rolls on.
“These days,” he says, “most people around hear me playing the accordion, and they don’t know that I kicked in the NFL.”
Becoming a kicker
Bitterlich was home in Warminster — his family moved from Olney just before his freshman year at William Tennent High — when Bahr called. The Temple soccer coach had been a star on the U.S. team that upset England in the 1950 World Cup and was one of the best players to come out of Philadelphia.
“He had this raspy voice,” Bitterlich said. “He smoked cigars during practice and basically chewed and ate half of it as well. He always called me ‘Bitterlich’ but called me ‘Donald’ if I screwed up.”
Don Bitterlich (20) at Temple, likely during the 1975 season.
So Bitterlich figured he was in trouble when his coach called him “Donald” on the phone.
Bahr asked Bitterlich whether he knew who Hardin was. Yes, he said. Bahr said he had just talked to the football coach and told him Bitterlich could kick. The coach had watched Bitterlich since he played soccer for Vereinigung Erzgebirge, a German club his grandfather founded off County Line Road. He told Bitterlich he could do it.
“So I said, ‘No soccer?,’” said Bitterlich, who was also the mascot at basketball games in the winter. “‘No, you’re my starting left midfielder.’ I was thinking, ‘How is this going to work?’”
Bahr told Bitterlich to call the football office, get a bag of balls, and start kicking. He kicked every day at the German club and tried to figure it out. He was soon splitting his day between football camp in Valley Forge and soccer camp at the old Temple Stadium on Cheltenham Avenue in West Oak Lane. Each sport practiced twice a day and Bitterlich found a way to make them all.
He played a soccer game that season in Pittsburgh, flew home with the team, and then took a taxi from the airport to Temple Stadium to kick for the football team. He was studying civil engineering and balancing two sports plus his accordion.
It eventually became too much. Hardin told Bahr that he would give the kicker a full scholarship to play football. That was it.
“With the football scholarship, I got room and board,” Bitterlich said. “So I was living on campus after commuting from Warminster. It was insane. I was so worn out.”
Making history
Bitterlich kicked a game winner in October 1973 against Cincinnati as time expired, made three kicks at Temple longer than 50 yards, and was the nation’s top kicker in 1975. The soccer player made a quick transition.
“Coach Hardin always said, ‘If I yell ‘field goal,’ I expect three points on the board,’” said Bitterlich, who was inducted into the Temple Hall of Fame in 2007. “He expected that. The point of that was that he trusted you. That was his way of saying, ‘I’m not asking you to do anything that I don’t think you can do.’”
Don Bitterlich performs with his accordian on Sunday during The Tasties at Live! Casino.
The coach helped Bitterlich understand the mental side of kicking, challenging him in practice to focus on the flagpole beyond the uprights. Try to hit the flag, he said.
“That had a huge mental impact on me,” Bitterlich said. “You have that image, and then when you do your steps back and you’re set, that’s all you can see. It made all the difference in the world for me. Once you have that image, you zone out any of the noise. You’re just focused on that image.”
It helped him focus in September 1976 when the Seahawks opened their inaugural season at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. They drafted Bitterlich five months earlier in the third round. The Kingdome’s concrete roof made the stadium deafening, but Bitterlich felt like he was back in North Philly practicing at Geasey Field as he focused the way Hardin taught him to.
He hit a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter, registering the first points in franchise history. The Seahawks had quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent, but it was the soccer player who scored first.
Bitterlich’s NFL career didn’t last long, as the Seahawks cut him later that month after he missed three field goals in a game. He tried out for the Buffalo Bills, but a blizzard hindered his chances. He signed with the Eagles in the summer of 1977, missed a field goal in a preseason game, and was cut.
He landed a job as a civil engineer in Lafayette Hill. He received a call on his first day from Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, who said the San Diego Chargers wanted to try him out. Bitterlich flew to California the next day but turned down a three-year NFL contract that would pay him only slightly more than his new job back home.
“Plus, the real reason I turned down their offer was that they couldn’t hold for a left-footed kicker,” Bitterlich said. “Their holder just couldn’t get the ball down. I didn’t want to sign that contract. ‘What’s going to happen in two days when that guy can’t get the ball down?’”
A week later, the San Francisco 49ers called. He flew back to California, tried out against another kicker, and was told he won the job. But the 49ers decided to sign Ray Wersching, who had been cut the previous season by the Chargers. Bitterlich turned down the chance to replace Wersching in San Diego, and now Wersching was swooping in for the job Bitterlich wanted in San Francisco.
“I went back home and said, ‘That’s enough,’” said Bitterlich, who played three NFL games. “It started to get disappointing.”
“I love to play,” Bitterlich says of his accordion. “I usually don’t take breaks. Most bands will play 40 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I just play through.”
Still playing
His NFL journey was hard to imagine that day at practice as he watched the clock at Temple Stadium and thought about how long it would take to drive to Vitale’s. Bitterlich told the assistant coach that it was almost time to play his accordion. That, the coach said, was something he would have to talk to Hardin about. Fine, Bitterlich said.
“I didn’t know if I was going to make the team or not, and I knew I was going to play soccer,” Bitterlich said. “So I just went over and told Coach.”
Hardin heard his kicker say he had to leave football practice to play the accordion and laughed.
“He said, ‘Yeah, I heard something about that,’” Bitterlich said.
The coach stopped practice and let Bitterlich get in the mix. He nailed six field goals and the other kicker shanked a few. The job felt like his. He hit a 47-yarder and looked over at Hardin.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Go,’” Bitterlich said.
Bitterlich was soon in his Chevy Caprice, heading down Cottman Avenue on his way to Vitale’s. He wasn’t late to his accordion gig that night. His football career would end a few years later, but the music has yet to stop.
“I enjoy it,” Bitterlich said. “I love to play. I usually don’t take breaks. Most bands will play 40 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I just play through. I really don’t take a break. I love it.”
