Michael Silver

California

Newest book, The Why Is Everything, available everywhere; link below. National columnist for @theathletic; partner, Backstage Media. SI, NFL Network, Yahoo alum

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Articles

'I've got to make sure it's not me'

2 days ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. - For more than a decade, Davante Adams has been one of football's craftiest route runners. Last month, he made what he hopes will be one of the savviest and most consequential moves of his career. After a 2024 season split between two flailing franchises, Adams took a sharp turn back to the left coast, signing a two-year, $46 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams.
Falcons, Leonard Floyd agree to 1-year, $10M deal hours after release from 49ers: Sources

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jeff Howe |Michael Silver |Josh Kendall |Matt Barrows

By Jeff Howe, Michael Silver, Josh Kendall, Matt Barrows and Cale Clinton The Atlanta Falcons and edge rusher Leonard Floyd reached an agreement on a one-year contract worth $1o million, according to league sources. Floyd, who will turn 32 in September, was released by the San Francisco 49ers early Tuesday afternoon just one year into a two-year, $20 million contract signed in 2024.
Najee Harris, Chargers agree to 1-year deal that could earn him up to $9.5 million: Source

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jelani Scott |Michael Silver

After four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Najee Harris will don a new uniform in 2025 following a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, a team source confirmed. Harris joins the Chargers on a one-year, $9.5 million deal, ushering in a fresh start for the running back who turned 27 on Sunday.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward, Colts agree to 3-year, $60 million deal: Source

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver |RJ Kraft

Charvarius Ward and the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $60 million, Ward told The Athletic's Michael Silver. Ward was the highest-ranked cornerback and No. 6 overall on The Athletic's most recent top 150 free agents list. The 28-year-old spent the previous three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers after starting his career as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys.
'This time, I ain't gonna settle for less'

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

Three years ago, Carlton Davis blinked. Set to enter free agency as one of the top cornerbacks on the market, Davis preemptively re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, choosing a familiar and secure setting and chasing another Super Bowl ring - and possibly leaving money on the table. Davis, since traded to the Detroit Lions and once again headed for free agency, is taking a much different approach this time around.
Why Jed York figures to take a more ruthless approach

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

The decision was visceral, emotional - and, in retrospect, excruciatingly regrettable. Last Aug. 29, five minutes before an 8:30 a.m. team meeting, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan stood up at his desk, sprinted upstairs and barged into John Lynch's office, imploring the general manager not to trade the team's most productive wide receiver to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Eagles, Nick Sirianni stayed true to themselves in becoming Super Bowl champions

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

NEW ORLEANS - Nick Sirianni stood in his private locker room, taking temporary refuge from the revelry around him. About 20 feet away, in a much larger locker room, rap music blasted, champagne spilled, and cigar smoke wafted through the air. Nearly two hours after crushing the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles were still awash in a full-throttle celebration.
No, the Super Bowl isn't rigged

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

NEW ORLEANS - Happy Super Sunday, and welcome to our epic showdown in the Big Easy, a battle for football supremacy between the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. And, of course, the eight officials (seven on the field, one in the replay booth) who will insidiously aid the two-time defending Super Bowl champs.
'He's always in his own zone'

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

NEW ORLEANS - On Fridays, Travis Kelce wanders. Before games, as the Kansas City Chiefs go through their practice protocol - 10 plays for the offense against the scout-team defense, and vice-versa - Kelce is a man unto himself, locked into the task at hand and transfixed during what would otherwise be dead periods. When it's the first-team defense's turn, while the rest of his offensive teammates watch from the sideline, Kelce roams onto an adjacent field and enters his own realm.
How Eagles GM Howie Roseman has gone from firing chants to Philly royalty

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Michael Silver

A little more than a year ago, on a mid-January Tuesday morning, Howie Roseman woke up feeling like a million bucks - minus a million. His stomach was in knots. His mood was dark. And the football team whose football operations he oversees was in a bad, bad place. The Philadelphia Eagles had just been humiliated in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, suffering a 32-9 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that finalized their precipitous fall from grace.