NFL news and rumors: Russell Wilson's reality, Cowboys confidence, Lions risk

We've finally made it: While we got our first taste of the 2025 NFL season on both Thursday (with the Philadelphia Eagles surviving the Dallas Cowboys) and Friday (with the Los Angeles Chargers finally getting past the Kansas City Chiefs), on Sunday we're in for a full meal. It's our first full slate of the year, and that means there's tons of news to get to from around the league before play kicks off.

Which players are on the verge of breaking out this season? What last-minute pieces of news could impact this weekend? Let's break it down.

NFL Rumors: Giants already planning on incorporating Jaxson Dart in Week 1

Despite how good Jaxson Dart looked in his first preseason for the New York Giants, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have stuck with their initial plan, firmly entrenching Russell Wilson as the team's starter entering the 2025 season.

Except, well, it seems like Russ might not be quite as entrenched as previously thought. According to a report from Ian Rapoport on Sunday morning, the Giants already plan on making use of a package of plays for Dart in their season opener against the Washington Commanders.

Obviously New York isn't the first team to do this sort of thing, and the plays in question will likely be limited and focused squarely on areas in which Dart isn't asked to process a ton but can simply make use of his impressive physical skill set. But it does underline the truth that everyone already knows: Dart's talent is simply head and shoulders above Wilson's at this point in their respective careers. The fact that Dart will see the field at all in the team's opener suggests that the Giants realize it too, and from there, it can only be a matter of time before he supplants Russ as the team's starter.

NFL Rumors: Cowboys still have Super Bowl confidence despite opening loss

Dallas was dealt a gut punch to start its 2025 season, following up the shocking trade of Micah Parsons with a tough 24-20 loss to the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. The Cowboys let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers — literally, in the case of star wideout CeeDee Lamb — but then again, the fact that they had that opportunity at all speaks to the potential that this team still possesses now that Dak Prescott is back healthy.

At least, that's how Dallas is choosing to spin things.

“I still think we can win a Super Bowl,” Brian Schottenheimer told The Athletic afterward. “That’s the goal. That’s not going to change. I mean, we’ve got the right type of guys. We’ve got good players. You saw what we’re capable of in the first half, offensively. You saw what we’re capable of in the second half, defensively. We’ve just got to put the game together in a more complementary fashion because that’s what we’re capable of.”

And really, it's hard to blame him. A lot went right for the Cowboys on Thursday: Prescott looked just like his old self, the Parsons-less defense settled in and bowed up against the most devastating rushing attack in the league and Lamb was getting open at will. The fact that Dallas, despite all of its offseason adversity, was in position to outplay the Super Bowl champs in their own building in prime time would seem to bode well.

Of course, the fact that the Cowboys let a close game slip could also speak to how little has changed in this organization, but hey, we're trying to look at the bright side here.

NFL Rumors: Lions lock up Jameson Williams despite past suspension

The Detroit Lions had one more piece of business up their sleeve before the new season began, signing big-play wideout Jameson Williams to a new three-year deal that could be worth as much as $83 million.

Williams has more than earned that sort of payday with his play on the field, cracking the 1,000-yard mark for the first time last season while averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He's a true burner, and an ideal fit for a Lions system that even without Ben Johnson should still prioritize getting athletes in space with the chance to run after the catch.

It's also a pretty surprising turn of events based on where Williams' career was just a couple of years ago. The former No. 12 overall pick out of Alabama was largely invisible as a rookie as he rehabbed from a torn ACL suffered in college, then was suspended for the start of the 2023 season due to a violation of the NFL's gambling policy. He started off slow when he did return to the field, and it was fair to question whether he would ever live up to his considerable billing.

But he's avoided any further mistakes and has put in the work to become a legitimate star at the pro level, and now he's being compensated accordingly. Maybe there's still some risk here given his past indiscretions, but clearly it's one the Lions felt compelled to take based on how important he is to their offensive ecosystem.