Tory Barron
Are you ready for it? If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s comments during his appearance Wednesday on the “Today” show are any indication, there’s a real possibility of Taylor Swift headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime show.
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“We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time,” Goodell said, when asked if Swift was invited to play the Super Bowl.
“Is it in the works?” “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie asked.
“I can’t tell you anything about it,” Goodell replied.
“Is it a maybe?” Guthrie followed up.
“It’s a maybe,” he hedged.
Despite Goodell’s noncommittal response, Swifties have been speculating for months that the stars (read: numbers) are aligning for the pop superstar — who is newly engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — to take center stage in Santa Clara, California.
Levi’s Stadium serves as the home to the San Francisco 49ers, and four plus nine equals Swift’s lucky No. 13.
If that isn’t enough evidence, consider that she now owns the rights to her first six albums, and the “soda wars” (Pepsi became the main sponsor of the halftime show in 2013, the same year Swift signed a deal with Coca-Cola) became a thing of the past when Apple Music took over the official sponsorship role in 2023.
There’s also the business of Swift’s upcoming 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which will be released Oct. 3. That’s after the eligibility deadline for the 68th Grammy Awards, so she may be inclined to put on a show of her own in early February.
On the off chance you’re still not buying it (we appreciate the skepticism), it’s worth pointing out Swift’s love of sourdough bread, a San Francisco-area staple.
It would be a full circle moment for the singer, who performed the national anthem at the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game back in 2006 and at the 2010 NFL kickoff concert in New Orleans.
Swift also teased “ME!” at the 2019 NFL draft and debuted the trailer for her album “Midnight” during the third quarter of the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals’ 2022 showdown.
Dare we say, it’s been a long time coming.
David Newton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hunter Renfrow’s phone was blowing up late last week while the soon-to-be-again Carolina Panthers wide receiver was picking up a trailer at a recycling business he helps run with his uncle in Woodruff, South Carolina.
Only he didn’t know it.
Blame “Bluey.”
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Yes, the animated children’s television series played a role in Renfrow’s return to the Panthers, less than a week after he was released.
The 2021 Pro Bowler made the mistake of leaving his phone in his vehicle with his two young daughters during the trailer stop. During the 30 minutes he talked to others at the business, there were 10 missed calls from Carolina head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and his agent.
His daughters were too busy watching “Bluey” to answer.
“[The calls] were all just ignored,” Renfrow said.
Panthers WR Hunter Renfrow explains his path jack to the team. pic.twitter.com/owMhFc9ood
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) September 1, 2025
Just as the adventures of the Blue Heeler puppy in the series have become popular among preschool children, Renfrow’s adventures in the NFL have become popular among sports fans.
The 2019 fifth-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders out of Clemson went from a Pro Bowler to out of the league in 2024 while recovering from ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease that impacted his health to the point that the Raiders released him.
He began his comeback this past offseason with the Panthers, the only team he wanted to play for because he grew up watching them as a native of neighboring state South Carolina.
The comeback took a twist last Tuesday when Carolina released the 29-year-old receiver. Canales said at the time he didn’t believe Renfrow was ready for the 53-man roster, but made it clear he and the organization wanted the veteran back on the practice squad.
Then Carolina traded 35-year-old receiver Adam Thielen, whose traits closely resemble Renfrow’s, to the Minnesota Vikings. Thielen’s replacement, Jalen Coker, suffered a quad injury on Thursday that landed him on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four games.
Bringing Renfrow back made sense because he knew the system.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Renfrow, who agreed to return on a one-year deal on Saturday.
Renfrow likened the situation to the first opportunity he got to prove himself at Clemson in 2015 as a walk-on before going on to help the Tigers win two national championships.
“The only reason I got to play at Clemson was because Mike Williams broke his neck,” he recalled of Williams fracturing his neck when he ran into the base of the goal post against Wofford. “Which worked out fine for him because he went in the first round the next year.”
Renfrow went on to collect 186 catches, the fifth most in school history.
He hopes his story with Carolina ends just as well. He already has a pretty good spot in the locker room next to starting quarterback Bryce Young, who reached out to help convince Renfrow to return.
“He told me about his deal last year and some things that happened,” said Renfrow, reminding Young was benched after an 0-2 start. “He had a lot of perseverance stories to share.”
None involved “Bluey.”
NEW YORK — Coach Brian Daboll on Monday refused to reveal whether rookie Jaxson Dart or veteran Jameis Winston will serve as the New York Giants’ backup quarterback for their season opener Sunday at Washington.
Russell Wilson is set to start against the Washington Commanders. Dart, the first-round pick who is being developed as the QB of the future, impressed in training camp and preseason games, though Winston has more than 100 games of NFL experience and was listed second with Dart third on the first unofficial depth chart released during camp.
“Any roster decisions based on who’s going to be the backup, we’ll have that out there on Sunday,” Daboll said on a video call with reporters.
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He also declined to announce whether Deonte Banks or Cor’Dale Flott will start as the No. 2 cornerback opposite free agent addition Paulson Adebo, or whether Greg Van Roten or converted tackle Evan Neal won the competition for the starting right guard position. Van Roten took the first-team snaps and is expected to get the nod.
“We have a good idea of how we’re going to play, with the players we’re going to play with,” Daboll said. “That’ll all come out on Sunday.”
The Giants aimed for standout left tackle Andrew Thomas to be ready for Week 1 after opening camp on the physically unable to perform list and not playing in any of their three exhibition games while rehabbing from foot surgery last October. It’s not clear if that will happen, with Daboll saying only that he expected everyone to participate in a walk-through Monday.
That would also seemingly include top receiver Malik Nabers, who has been dealing with a toe injury and did not participate in the preseason. Nabers is coming off catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
The league does not require teams to share injury information until the regular season, and Daboll has repeatedly said he would not talk about why players were not on the field. The first injury disclosures are expected Wednesday, when teams playing Sunday are required to publish which players did and did not practice and why.