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Sports Fox

NFL Free Agent Matchmaker: Who Lands Kenneth Walker III, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers?

The NFL’s legal tampering window begins on Monday, when pending free agents can begin negotiating contracts and reaching agreements with external teams ahead of the new league year. So, which top players and teams make sense as a pairing? Let’s match up 10 of this year’s marquee unrestricted free agents with logical homes, starting with a trio of quarterbacks and other key offensive players. QB Kyler Murray: Minnesota Vikings Arizona has already announced that it will release Murray, and Minnesota needs a QB upgrade from disappointing ex-first rounder J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings should be appealing to Murray (and other available quarterbacks) because of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s track record with QB revivals. O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator from 2020-21, which is when Murray made back-to-back Pro Bowls with the division-rival Cardinals. As a result, O’Connell should have a good idea of what the former No. 1 overall pick looked like at his peak. [RELATED: 3 Best Team Fits for QB Kyler Murray in NFL Free Agency] QB Aaron Rodgers: Pittsburgh Steelers If the 42-year-old Rodgers returns for a 22nd NFL season, it’s difficult to imagine it being anywhere else but Pittsburgh. Starting over again with a new franchise in what would likely be his final year doesn’t seem worth the squeeze. Mike Tomlin may not be with the Steelers anymore, but taking over is Mike McCarthy, who was Rodgers’ head coach in Green Bay for 13 years. [RELATED: 3 Best Team Fits for QB Aaron Rodgers in NFL Free Agency] QB Malik Willis: Miami Dolphins With just three starts over the past two years, there’s tremendous risk in giving Willis a big contract. But that risk is mitigated with the Dolphins, considering the presence of both coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, both of whom were in Green Bay with Willis last season. As the Packers’ defensive coordinator, Hafley went up against the former third-round pick the past two years in practice. [RELATED: 3 Best Team Fits for QB Malik Willis in NFL Free Agency] RB Kenneth Walker III: Kansas City Chiefs The Super LX MVP is the kind of dynamic weapon out of the backfield who would provide an instant boost to a Chiefs run game that ranked 25th last season. Kansas City’s leading rusher in 2025 was Kareem Hunt, who had just 611 rushing yards. Also, with Patrick Mahomes coming off a knee injury, his scrambling ability may be impacted. So the Chiefs need a dependable running back more than ever. WR Alec Pierce: Indianapolis Colts Pierce is intent on hitting free agency, but don’t be surprised to see him sign back with the Colts. The rising receiver built a strong rapport in 2025 with quarterback Daniel Jones, and Indianapolis’ brass has no margin for error this offseason following last season’s collapse. Paying up to retain Pierce shouldn’t be out of the question — even if it’s near $30 million per year. C Tyler Linderbaum: Tennessee Titans Linderbaum will command record-setting money as a center, and no team is better equipped to give it to him than the Titans, who have a league-high $93.8 million in cap space. Tennessee has a center need after releasing Lloyd Cushenberry last week, and it’s expected to pursue a high-quality veteran option to work with second-year quarterback Cam Ward. [RELATED: 2026 NFL Free Agency: Top 100 Players Available and Potential Fits] DE Trey Hendrickson: Indianapolis Colts Hendrickson was viewed as a potential Colts target last year amid his contract issues with the Bengals, and now Indianapolis has a chance to nab him as a free agent. Indy has a big need at edge rusher opposite Laiatu Latu, and Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarrumo was Cincinnati’s DC from 2021-24, when Hendrickson had three seasons of 14-plus sacks. Signing the 31-year-old Hendrickson would be a risk — he played just seven games last season due to injuries, recording four sacks — but general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen must be aggressive this offseason, as they’re firmly on the hot seat. LB Devin Lloyd: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Don’t be surprised to see the Jaguars make a push to re-sign Lloyd after his career season, but the Bucs make a lot of sense. Tampa must be thinking about its future at linebacker post-Lavonte David, who is 36 and entering unrestricted free agency. Deion Jones, a veteran backup, is also a pending free agent. The Bucs need more depth and playmaking at linebacker. Cue Lloyd, who had a career-high five interceptions — including a 99-yard pick-six off Patrick Mahomes — and seven pass breakups last season for the Jags. Signing with the Bucs would allow Lloyd to stay in Florida, which has no state income tax. For Lloyd, that would be great news for what’s expected to be a massive second contract. OLB Odafe Oweh: Carolina Panthers The Panthers generated an NFL-low 148 quarterback pressures last season, so Oweh would be a major boost in the pass-rushing department. The former first-round pick has registered at least 7.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons, and his 51 pressures in 2025 tied for 29th. Oweh’s presence would be a nice complement to defensive tackle Derrick Brown (5.0 sacks last season) and outside linebacker Nic Scourton (5.0), who flashed promise as a second-round rookie. OLB Jaelan Phillips: Philadelphia Eagles Phillips played the best ball of his career in 2023 under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (6.5 sacks in eight games), so it’s difficult to imagine their reunion with the Eagles coming to an end after just eight games (nine including playoffs). Philly needs the pass rush help anyway. The Eagles tied for 10th in pressures and ranked 13th in pressure rate last season, but they didn’t have a player reach seven sacks.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

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Music

Parker McCollum Reflects on His Longstanding Admiration for Miranda Lambert

Parker McCollum recently opened up about his longstanding admiration and connection with fellow East Texas artist Miranda Lambert.

During an interview with Danny Murphy and Evan Real on SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio, the “Pretty Heart” singer recalled meeting Lambert during their first tour together and praised her for always staying connected to her Texas roots.

“I was on tour with her right before COVID. That was kind of the first time we’d ever actually met. And we did a run of shows with her and COVID started and we didn’t play a show for I think a whole year after that,” he recalled. “But she’s an east Texas girl. I’m from east Texas, so, you know, and she’s always all through her becoming a bonafide superstar, mega superstar in country music, she’s always really stayed in close contact with kind of the Texas scene. I always noticed that.”

Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum backstage at the Moody Center, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025; Photo by Bralyn Kelly Smith
Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum backstage at the Moody Center, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025; Photo by Bralyn Kelly Smith

He continued, “And I always thought that was really cool. Like, she was bonafide mega superstar, you know, and when she played in Texas, she still have some of the Randy Rogers bands and the Wade Bowen and all those guys, she’d have them on stage or have them open those shows. And I always was like, man, that’s really impressive that she still feels, you know, that close to those, that to that whole scene.”

McCollum shared that Lambert’s example inspired him to do the same and went on to praise the country superstar for always being in his corner. 

“And so I’ve always made sure to try to do that as well as I kind of went and did the major record deal thing and she’s had some great advice for navigating all of that. I was such a fan of hers. I’ve always just thought her voice is one of my favorite voices in the history of country music,” he said. “And so I really don’t know why she’s so good to me, but I’m certainly super grateful and appreciative. She’s just one of the good ones.”

Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum kick off their “Band Together Texas” benefit concert at the Moody Center on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025; Photo by Jeff Johnson
Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum kick off their “Band Together Texas” benefit concert at the Moody Center on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025; Photo by Jeff Johnson

Parker McCollum and Miranda Lambert recently joined forces to support Texas after the devastating floods last summer with their Band Together Texas benefit, which raised over $8.5 million for flood relief.

The two artists also collaborated musically on Lambert’s Postcards From Texas album, teaming up for the duet “Santa Fe.”

McCollum shared his excitement over the collaboration on social media, writing, “Absolutely honored to be a part of this album. Been a huge fan of Miranda since I was just a kid so to have the opportunity to collab with her is truly a dream come true. One of the greatest talents this business has ever seen.”

The post Parker McCollum Reflects on His Longstanding Admiration for Miranda Lambert appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

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Entertainment

Where Are Papa John’s Complementary Pepperoncinis From?

You may wonder about the path that Papa John’s complementary pepperoncinis take from the plant to your pizzeria. It turns out, they originate from this country.

​Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews

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Music

That Time Vince Gill’s Bluegrass Band Opened for Kiss

His message to the rude audience is classic! Continue reading…​Country Music News – Taste of Country

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Entertainment

Lisa Rinna Swears Husband Harry Hamlin Isn’t Gay

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Lisa Rinna would like to set a certain record straight.

And we aren’t using this word by accident.

In the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum’s new book (titled “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It”), the reality star/soap opera actress does her best to shut down speculation that husband Harry Hamlin is gay.

Such speculation apparently started way, way back in the day after Hamlin played a gay man in the 1982 movie Making Love.

Lisa Rinna and husband Harry Hamlin attend The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA 5th “Emmy Nominees Night” at the Stanley II mansion in West Hollywood, California, September 13, 2024. (Photo by Michael TRAN / AFP)

“When you’re a good-looking man in Hollywood with a good sense of style, that adds up to ‘is he gay?’” Lisa wrote in the book. “Let’s just clear this up one last time, once and for all: Harry’s heterosexual.”

According to Amazon’s official synopsis:

In You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Lisa peels back the curtain on her rollercoaster career and her unapologetic approach to life, dishing on the highs, the lows, and the “did-she-really-just-say-that?” moments that made her a household name.

Yes, she’s spilling all the tea from the soundstages of Days of Our Lives to the drama of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

But she’s also opening up about what it means to grow older in an industry obsessed with youth, the lessons she’s learned about reinvention, parenting a daughter with a chronic illness, keeping her well-documented marriage alive and healthy, and being forced to grieve in public after the loss of her mother.

Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin attend The Daily Front Row’s 8th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards on April 28, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Back to Hamlin, though.

Rinna — who made headlines last month for saying she was drugged at The Traitors premiere party — added of her long-time spouse:

“He is not a gay man in any way, shape or form, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Rinna and Hamlin got married in 1997 and the former says the “sex is still great” between the pair “because we’re still really attracted to each other.”

She explained further:

“Even if we don’t do it as often, when we do, it’s as good as it’s ever been. After all these years, Harry and I still feel like a team.”

Lisa Rinna attends Lisa Rinna In Conversation: “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It” at 92NY on February 26, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

The stars are parents to daughters Delilah Belle, 27, and Amelia, 24.

Rinna recently told E! News that Hamlin — who, to reiterate, is not gay — has read her memoir and is fine with it.

“He’s a voracious reader and he’s really, really smart, so I was very nervous for him to read it,” she told this outlet last week. “[But] he really liked it. He thought I was very brave, very vulnerable and he thought I did a great job.”

Lisa Rinna Swears Husband Harry Hamlin Isn’t Gay was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

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Sports Fox

Patriots Set to Release WR Stefon Diggs Following Productive 2025 Season

Drake Maye and the New England Patriots will need to find a new top wide receiver for the 2026 season. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been informed by the team that he’ll be released after the start of the new league year on March 11, NFL Media reported Wednesday. Diggs later confirmed the news in a social media post. Diggs, 32, was set to receive a $6 million guaranteed roster bonus if he remained on the Patriots’ roster by March 13. New England will open up some cap space with the move, though. By releasing Diggs, the Patriots have created $16.8 million in cap space for the 2026 season, per Over The Cap. In his lone season in New England, Diggs was quite productive. He had a team-leading 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. His productive campaign came a year after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear during his one season with the Houston Texans. While Diggs had a strong regular season, his play took a dip in the playoffs as the Patriots reached Super Bowl LX. He logged 14 receptions for just 110 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ four postseason games. Diggs also dealt with an off-field issue in his final months in New England. He was arrested in December and pleaded not guilty to felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges in February after he allegedly strangled his personal chef. All of that made Diggs a speculated cut candidate entering the offseason. He ranked sixth in our Greg Auman’s top 25 cut candidates story. Now, Diggs checks in at No. 26 in our top 100 free agents ranking. Diggs has been named a Pro Bowler four times in his career and has recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in seven of the last eight seasons.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

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Music

Remembering Joey Feek: Friends + Collaborators Share Memories

It’s been 10 years since we lost Joey Feek, but her presence in the country world still looms large. Continue reading…​Country Music News – Taste of Country

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Music

Remembering Joey Feek: Friends + Collaborators Share Memories

It’s been 10 years since we lost Joey Feek, but her presence in the country world still looms large. Continue reading…​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

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Politics

Texas Latinos turned out in massive numbers for Democrats

Latino voters flocked to Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Texas in droves, reversing a long-running erosion for the party ahead of this year’s pivotal midterms.

The numbers were dramatic: In five different rural majority-Latino counties, more votes were cast in Tuesday’s Democratic primary than for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

“These very Hispanic counties are amongst the swingiest in the country, and they’re really telling us something,” said Mike Madrid, an anti-Trump GOP strategist who wrote a book about Latino voters.

The results provide some much-needed hope for Democrats that they can compete not only in Texas as they have long dreamed, but in Latino districts across the country that could determine control of the House in November. Few groups of voters have vexed Democrats in recent cycles as much as Latino voters in the Rio Grande Valley.

On Tuesday, the party started to seem like it had a way back.

The turnout surge among Hispanic and Latino voters helped power state Rep. James Talarico’s Senate primary victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, setting him up for a general election that has ignited Democrats’ fever dream of finally flipping Texas. In counties that are majority-Latino, Talarico won by roughly 22 points, according to preliminary results, compared to a roughly 3-point margin of victory over Crockett in the rest of the state.

It’s the latest sign that Latino voters who helped President Donald Trump return to the White House are not inherently sticking with Republicans. Democratic candidates put up strong numbers in predominantly Latino areas in gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey last November, as well as a smattering of special elections, including a state senate race in Fort Worth just last month.

But the results are especially significant because South Texas had long been an early warning sign of Democrats’ problems with Latino voters. While Latino voters swung sharply towards Trump in 2024, the party had been losing ground in the Rio Grande Valley dating back several election cycles.

A number of Rio Grande valley counties swung away from Democrats in 2020, and kept swinging right in 2024: In Zapata County, for instance, where 94 percent of the population is Hispanic, Trump won just 33 percent of the vote in 2016, but took 53 percent in 2020 and 61 percent in 2024.

On Tuesday, it was among the five counties where more voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary than voted for Harris in 2024, along with Kenedy, Jim Hogg, Reeves and Dimmit. Talarico won 55 percent of the vote across those five counties.

Republicans leaned heavily into their recent gains with Latinos as they redrew congressional maps in their favor last year, with several majority-Latino districts among those they are hoping to flip.

But some of those flips now look a lot less certain. In the newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio to Austin and is majority Latino, Democrats’ four-way primary drew 7,500 more voters than Republicans’ three-way contest. Both primaries are headed to a runoff in the district that Trump won by 10 points in 2024.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district was also redrawn to be more friendly for Republicans and who faces a tough election in November even after he was pardoned by Trump in December, said Tuesday’s results were evidence that Republicans’ gains in Texas in 2024 were “not a political realignment.”

Latino voters are angry with Republicans, he said, over continued high prices and Trump’s tariffs, along with ongoing immigration enforcement that has gone beyond what voters are comfortable with.

“If ICE would have just stuck on deporting criminals, people would have been OK with that, they would have been supportive,” Cuellar said. “But the moment they started going into work sites and going after criminal records — down here in South Texas, everybody knows somebody who has been here for a while — so that has turned Hispanics against Republicans.”

Madrid, the GOP strategist, argues Latino voters have always been more of a swing group than many people recognized. With Trump in office and high prices persisting, that creates openings for Democrats, both in Texas and across the country.

“It began literally, with Liberation Day, with the tariffs,” said Madrid, the GOP strategist. “When Trump announced those, you could see Trump’s numbers dropping with Latinos precipitously.”

Democrats’ best-case scenario in Texas would mean Cuellar and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) both hold their districts despite the effects of redistricting, with the party flipping the nearby 15th District, where Tejano singer Bobby Pulido won a primary to face Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, as well as the open 35th district. In that case, Republicans’ might pick up only one seat in the state despite their aggressive gerrymander.

And while national Democrats have not identified Texas as necessary to take back the Senate, there is still hope that Talarico could become the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in more than three decades.

Talarico’s performance with Latino voters was notable not only because of his party’s recent struggles, but also because the last Democrat to come close in a Senate race in Texas — Beto O’Rourke in 2018 — faltered with Latino voters. O’Rourke lost dozens of predominantly Latino counties in the primary, and comparatively lower turnout among Latino voters in the general election hurt his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, which he lost by less than three points. O’Rourke’s struggles in the region presaged what was to come for Democrats in the Rio Grande Valley.

Talarico has campaigned hard in the region.

“Talarico’s faith-based messaging probably resonated really well, especially in a community that is heavily driven by faith,” said Kendall Scudder, chair of the Texas Democratic Party.

Scudder described Tuesday’s result as a “good first step” in retreading inroads with the community ahead of November, but said the party had to “double down” on their efforts to engage. But local Democrats, scarred by recent elections, aren’t taking a victory lap.

“It’s not the party that’s driving people to the polls. It’s the horrendous behaviors of the man in the White House and his cronies. That’s what’s driving people to the polls,” said Sylvia Bruni, chair of South Texas’ Webb County Democratic Party.

Democrats, she acknowledged, have a “prime opportunity” to win back the community against a “backdrop of abuse that our people are experiencing full force.” But she said the party still hasn’t done enough to directly engage with voters in remote, expansive counties like hers, which includes Laredo.

“I’d be the first to say to my party, you would need to do a hell of a lot more for us,” she said.

How much ground Democrats can make up in Texas may also depend on who they are facing. In the Republican primary, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) did a few points better in Latino areas than he did in the rest of the state, suggesting he might be the stronger general election candidate with Latino voters if he can survive a runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He’s run well in Latino areas of the state in the past.

“John Cornyn has been the senator for quite a while, and there’s a familiarity with South Texans,” said Daniel Garza, a Texas-based Republican strategist and president of the conservative Libre Initiative. “He’s like somebody who’s trusted, who has a lot of credibility, and who’s familiar, right? And so people are comfortable with him in that position. Paxton, not so much.”

​Politics

Categories
Entertainment

Demi Lovato & Keke Palmer Discuss Grown Men Who ‘Exploited’ Them as Teen …

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Demi Lovato has been using their voice for good for years.

Those unique challenges have helped her build a lot of wisdom.

This week, they sat down with the incomparable Keke Palmer.

Both former child stars compared notes on having dated grown men when they were teenagers, and the factors that led to that.

Demi Lovato in March on 'Baby This Is Keke Palmer'
Demi Lovato thinks back to the nostalgic highs and the cringe lows of teen stardom. (Image Credit: YouTube)

These former teen stars had very similar experiences

On the Tuesday, March 3 episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the eponymous host reflected upon the red flag age gaps of her adolescence.

“I found myself dating. I’m 15, why is my boyfriend 20?” she recalled thinking.

This remark came in retrospect, because it seemed to make sense at the time.

Her guest for this legend-to-legend conversation was Demi Lovato.

“Why was my boyfriend 30?” Demi responded, nodding in agreement. “You know what I’m saying?”

Keke very clearly knows what Demi is saying.

And so do we.

In 2010, Demi was 18 years old. Wilmer Valderrama was 30. The two began dating, only breaking up in 2016.

Demi has spoken about the highs and lows of this erstwhile relationship before — alleging violations of consent but also describing the romance as “love at first sight.”

We do have to emphasize that Valderrama’s name doesn’t come up during the chat. And, honestly, it doesn’t need to.

Keke Palmer in March on 'Baby This Is Keke Palmer'
Keke Palmer gets expressive on her show, ‘Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.’ (Image Credit: YouTube)

What brought about these situations?

Contrary to what conspiracy theorists might push, it isn’t that teenage actors are pushed to date adult men by evil puppetmasters. At least, not usually.

The unique combination of a financially successful career and unusual adolescent independence did feed into this situation, as it would for even non-famous teens.

But, as Keke suggested during the interview, both former child stares “were trying to find outlets and just a way to process” their fairly unique lives.

“Nobody our age could understand,” Demi agreed. “But then you look back in hindsight, when I turned 30 I was like, ‘That’s not OK.’”

“Girl, the moment that you realize and you get to the age that a lot of people that were around you and doing stuff,” Keke remarked.

“It’s almost a mental break that can happen because you realize you were taken advantage of,” Keke added. “‘Oh, I was being exploited.’”

It is very common for teens, even those who do not date anyone older than a classmate, to think little to nothing of an adult dating one of their classmates.

(This was even more common a couple of decades ago, before social media.)

At fifteen, you might think “gee, why would my friend date someone as ancient as 26?” Then, over a decade later, you remember that — and imagine that mindset of someone in their mid-twenties dating a high school sophomore.

“Especially if you are an older soul, too,” Demi added, clarifying: “Especially if you’re mature for your age.”

Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer in March on 'Baby This Is Keke Palmer'
Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer had similar experiences as teen stars, and they were not alone. (Image Credit: YouTube)

These two baddies both have excellent taste

This formed a natural segue into both praising Hilary Duff’s song, “Mature.” (Hilary has been popping off with new music lately.)

Remarking upon how they all had similar experiences as child stars, Demi noted that their 2022 song, “29,” was about an older partner.

(Demi was 17 and Valderrama was 29 when they first met, though the dating did not begin until Demi’s 18th birthday.)

As we already mentioned, plenty of non-celebrities — particularly women — have comparable stories about men who, at the very best, were too immature. In most cases, these are stories of men who exploited them as teens.

We’re glad that Demi and Keke are both in much better places today. We’re just so sorry that they had to pull themselves out of these places of exploitation.

Demi Lovato & Keke Palmer Discuss Grown Men Who ‘Exploited’ Them as Teen … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip