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- Kareem Hunt says finishing career with hometown team ‘would be something special’ (Beacon Journal) - The Browns hold the contractual rights to Kareem Hunt beyond this season because the standout running back is eligible for restricted free agency in March. Hunt made it clear Friday he’s fine with the situation. The Willoughby South High School graduate wants to remain with his hometown team anyway.
- Joel Bitonio: it’s ‘put up or shut up’ time next year (cleveland.com) - Joel Bitonio has been through six losing seasons with the Browns and two coaching changes, and he knows he might be in for a third. He’s tired of it all, especially after this Season of Great Expectations.
- Baker Mayfield declares he won’t work with throwing coach in offseason (Yahoo Sports) - Baker Mayfield would be lying to himself if he didn’t believe he had room for improvement; despite having some of the best offensive skill players in the NFL on the field with him, his numbers dipped from last year in pretty much every category. But here’s where Mayfield sounded incredibly short-sighted and, really, arrogant: He has no interest in working with a private coach.
- Odell Beckham questionable against Bengals with illness (NFL.com) - It seems a bug is going around the locker room in Berea, and no, it has nothing to do with wins and losses. Odell Beckham Jr. is questionable for Sunday’s season finale in Cincinnati due to an illness.
NFL:
- Is Antonio Brown signing with the Saints? ‘Not now,’ Sean Payton says (nola.com) - The New Orleans Saints aren’t signing embattled wide receiver Antonio Brown, coach Sean Payton said Friday. At least “not now,” Payton said.
- Benny Snell, Kerrith Whyte ready to take over again for injured James Conner (triblive.com) - With James Conner unable to finish the regular season with a thigh injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers will turn back to a committee approach Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
- Blinded by affection, Arthur Blank makes a major mistake (ajc.com) - This is a mistake. You know it, and surely the high-profile owner knows it. But he loves Dan Quinn, and apparently his affection for Thomas Dimitroff knows no rational bounds. The famous businessman has allowed himself to be swayed by emotion and, worse still, recency bias.
- How pro football has changed in the past decade (ESPN) - Pro football began and ended the 2010-19 decade as the country’s most popular sport. A few things happened in between, of course, and what follows is our attempt to pick out the most significant ways pro football and the NFL have changed in the past 10 years.