The latest news in the NFL is seeing a lot of rumors and speculation about where certain stars may end up in this offseason. With the way things are going in MLB, the next big sports season might just be football.

Bucs’ Marpet Announces Retirement

This past Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro-Bowler Ali Marpet announced that he will retire from pro football after just seven seasons following his best year as a pro. He made the announcement via Instagram, saying, “After seven formidable years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I’ve come to the decision to retire from the game that has given me so much.”

Marpet was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft and was the highest-drafted Division III player ever from Hobart College in Geneva, NY. He was part of the offensive line that helped protect Tom Brady during the team’s Super Bowl run of 2020 and started all 101 games he played in his career.  

Tampa Bay has now lost two starters to retirement this offseason after bringing back all 22 starters from their championship team of 2020. Marpet was the sixth-ranked guard in the league on a team that allowed the fewest sacks in the league with 23 last season. 

Bieniemy Returns To Chiefs on One-year Deal    

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy recently signed a deal to stay on as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator for one more season. It’s his second one-year contract in a row as he enters his fifth season at the position. After Matt Nagy accepted the head coaching job in Chicago in 2018, Bieniemy was promoted to offensive coordinator from running backs coach and has played a vital role in the growth of the Chiefs’ offense. 

The coach has been regarded as one of the best at his position in the league and has attracted the attention of many teams in the market for a head coach. He has completed several head coaching interviews in the last couple of years but has not been offered a job yet. His last interview was with the New Orleans Saints, who eventually hired Dennis Allen for their head coaching vacancy.

League Discussing Changes To Overtime Rules

The NFL Competition Committee is meeting this week in Indianapolis to discuss various issues, including a rule change that has been a hot topic since the playoffs had several games decided in overtime in this last postseason. This past Sunday, Committee chairman Rich McKay said the proposed changes to the overtime rules would be discussed during the meetings. 

The chairman has said that he expects to hear proposals related to changing the overtime rules just for the playoffs, and others may include the regular season in a proposed rule change. It’s not known how much support there is among teams for changing the overtime rules, but for the current rule to be changed, 24 of the 32 teams would have to vote to approve the measure. 

The discussion about changing the rule gained momentum after the Chiefs defeated the Bills in overtime of the Divisional Round, with the Chiefs winning the coin toss and scoring a touchdown for the victory. In contrast, the Bills offense didn’t step onto the field in the extra period. 

The rule has been changed over the years. About 52% of teams who have won the coin toss are victorious under the rule, which requires a touchdown on the first possession of OT to win the game. That number is 90% in the playoffs, with only one team winning in overtime in the postseason without winning the coin toss since the rule was put in place in 2010.