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Aaron Donald fuels Rams comeback buzz, Panthers-Cardinals open preseason in Canton, and rookie contract deadlines add pressure around the league. Plus, Travis Kelce camp chatter, a Mystics win, and why the Ravens should extend Lamar Jackson before th
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: Aaron Donald comeback smoke in L.A., Panthers-Cardinals football in Canton, rookie deadline pressure, and Lamar's next Ravens bill. Let's get into it.
Aaron Donald walked back into the Rams facility in Rams gear, worked out, and because the NFL loves paperwork more than joy, it got logged as a “tryout.”
Sean McVay called it the best tryout they’ve had. Then he joked Donald could make the team.
Yeah. Hot scouting take, Sean. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year might have a shot.
But this feels real now. Donald has been away for two years. He’s not just posting gym clips from some mystery warehouse. He was in the building, in the uniform, around the team. And the Rams already added Myles Garrett in June. So yeah, the NFC should be at least a little nauseous.
Because if Donald comes back and he’s even seventy percent of Aaron Donald, the Rams become gross up front.
Garrett just had twenty-three sacks last season. Donald retired as one of the most destructive interior linemen football has ever seen. Put those two on the same defensive front and the offensive line meeting becomes a hostage situation.
I don’t think Donald comes back unless he believes the Rams are close. Guys like that don’t unretire to chase eight wins and a polite golf clap.
If he returns, it means he thinks L.A. can win the NFC. And honestly? With that pass rush, he might be right.
Football is back tonight in Canton. Panthers versus Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game, eight eastern, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. No, I’m not pretending preseason football is the Super Bowl. But after months of fake depth charts and camp videos, I will watch two backup tackles fight for roster spots like it’s fine dining.
For Carolina, this is about looking normal. Bryce Young doesn’t need to play a full half to prove anything. But the Panthers need competence around him. Clean operation. No circus snaps. No receivers lining up like they just met in the parking lot. Carolina spent the whole offseason trying to look like an adult football team. Tonight is step one.
Arizona has a different vibe. The Cardinals are trying to convince people they’re not just fun-bad anymore. Kyler Murray is past the excuses phase. The roster has more talent, the division is mean, and the cute rebuild patience is over. Even in a Hall of Fame Game, sloppy football would be annoying.
Also today: rookie contract deadline day. If a drafted rookie isn’t signed by today, he can’t be traded in twenty twenty-six. He can only sign with the team that drafted him until the twenty twenty-seven draft.
That sounds like fine print. It’s not. It’s leverage dying in real time. Once this deadline hits, an unsigned rookie loses the “trade me somewhere else” escape hatch. The drafting team can basically say, cool, enjoy waiting. Camp reps disappear. Preseason reps disappear. And some other guy takes your locker, your snaps, and maybe your job.
Over in Kansas City, Andy Reid had to shut down Travis Kelce dad-body discourse. Reid said Kelce is in good shape and looks the same as always. The internet remains undefeated and deeply unemployed. Kelce is thirty-six, has taken a million hits, and still gets judged like he’s supposed to show up looking like a Marvel extra in August.
If the Chiefs get functional Kelce in December, they’re fine. Nobody cares if he looks beach-ready for day six of camp.
And in the WNBA, Washington beat Dallas ninety-six to ninety-two. Mystics over Wings in a tight one, and that’s a nice win for Washington on a four-game Wednesday slate. No need to overcook it. Close game, clean finish, Mystics got it done.
The Hangover Take: the Ravens need to pay Lamar Jackson again before this gets stupid.
Zay Flowers just got four years, one hundred forty million dollars. Good for him. He’s a real weapon, and Baltimore clearly wants to keep Lamar surrounded.
But Flowers also said he wants Lamar as his quarterback for his whole career. Cute quote. Also a reminder that everyone in that building knows who the real franchise is.
Lamar has two years left on his deal. That sounds comfortable until you look at the massive twenty twenty-seven cap number sitting there like a refrigerator in the hallway. Baltimore can pretend there’s time. There isn’t.
The quarterback market does not get cheaper. It only gets louder and dumber. If Lamar plays like Lamar again, the next negotiation starts with a number that makes everyone’s eye twitch.
So extend him now. Lower the future cap pain, calm the room, and stop acting like the most important player in franchise history is just another line item.
Pay Lamar before the market embarrasses you.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.