Former NFL safety Matt Stevens dies at 51
Stevens entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Bills in 1996.
He played eight seasons, spending time in Buffalo, New England, Philadelphia, Washington and Houston.
In the Patriots' 2001 championship season, Stevens appeared in all but one game and totaled 43 tackles in 15 regular-season games. He added six more tackles in the three playoff victories, including the Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the Rams.
Stevens appeared in 108 games, recording 301 tackles, 13 interceptions and a sack.
In 2007, Stevens was involved in a motorcycle accident that injured his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He participated in clinical trials for the ReWalk device in 2011, a wearable exoskeleton that enabled him to regain mobility with the assistance of special leg braces.
The Patriots said in a statement that, 'Matt Stevens's legacy is marked by his contributions to professional football, his determination to overcome personal adversity, and the inspiration he provided to many through his resilience and dedication.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
19 minutes ago
- Newsweek
NFL Insider Reveals Shocking Update on Dallas Cowboys Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. During the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys were one of many teams dealing with a contract holdout. As things carry over into training camp, one insider revealed a shocking development regarding the front office's dealings with one of their key players. Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Micah Parsons was eager to lock down a long-term commitment with the Cowboys. The former No. 12 pick is more than deserving of an extension, as he's blossomed into the focal point of their defense. Over the past four years, Parson has proven to be one of the top defensive talents in the NFL. Now, he wants to be compensated as such. On Tuesday, Cowboys' veteran arrived for the official start of training camp. Though he didn't get an extension, Parsons was still in attendance. He wasn't a full participant in drills, but was still around to support his teammates. ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 22: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys walks towards the locker room against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL football game at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in... ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 22: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys walks towards the locker room against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL football game at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. Micah Parsons shares what Cowboys need to do to bounce back in 2025. MoreAlso read: Jerry Jones Makes Blunt Statement on Dallas Cowboys Star While on ESPN's First Take earlier this week, NFL insider Adam Schefter detailed the latest regarding Parsons and the Cowboys. He noted that the franchise never even brought an official offer to the table for the All-Pro linebacker. "They haven't even submitted a contract proposal yet to Micah Parsons," Schefter said. "So there are no has happened. So for all the talk that we've had about Micah and the contract and how close they are or aren't, they're not close. They haven't started." "[The Cowboys] haven't even submitted a contract proposal yet to Micah Parsons." —@AdamSchefter on Micah Parsons' contract negotiations 😳 — First Take (@FirstTake) July 22, 2025 While speaking with the media after day one of camp, Parsons echoed a lot of what Schefter reported. He stated that he wants to remain in Dallas moving forward, but it all comes down to the front office. "We'll just see how long things take," Parsons told reporters. "When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best just wish you had that same type of energy...I want to be here. At the end of the day, they sign the checks. Let's see if they want me to be here." Cowboys DE Micah Parsons: 'There's really not much movement' on contract talks. 'I want to be here. At the end of the day, they sign the checks. Let's see if they want me to be here.' 'I'm doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn't for Jerry.' — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025 Also read: Cowboys Standouts Named Among NFL's Top Homegrown Duos Parsons' frustrations stem from seeing some of his top counterparts in the league secure lucrative deals. This offseason, Maxx Crosby and T.J. Watt both inked massive contracts with their respective teams. While Parsons is equally as impactful as these players, he still finds himself waiting to begin discussions on a new deal. For more Dallas Cowboys and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
Time Is Ticking On Packers' Coach Matt LaFleur And GM Brian Gutekunst
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (left) and general manager Brian Gutekunst (right) are ... More entering a critical season. Ed Policy could have ended the drama before it began. Instead, the Green Bay Packers' incoming team president took a wait-and-see approach. Now, the seats held by head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst are suddenly quite warm. LaFleur and Gutekunst have been paired together since 2019, making them the fifth-longest tenured duo in football. Of those five, LaFleur and Gutekunst have accomplished the least. Both LaFleur and Gutekunst have two years left on the contract extensions they signed in 2022. Policy said last month he doesn't think a coach and G.M. should work into the final years of their contracts without a new deal. Policy also said he wasn't ready to offer extensions to either Gutekunst or LaFleur. 'We won't be doing anything going into this season,' Policy said. So if the Packers — who open training camp Wednesday — don't have a big year in 2025, they could be hunting for a new head coach and G.M. after the season. 'I think generally speaking I would avoid lame-duck status,' Policy said. 'It's oftentimes difficult on everybody involved.' Overall, both Gutekunst and LaFleur have done extremely solid work during their time in Green Bay. Gutekunst inherited a mess when he took over for former general manager Ted Thompson in Jan., 2018. The Packers had an aging roster, salary cap issues and were coming off their first losing season in nine years. Since then, Gutekunst has led the Packers to a 73-42-1 record, five playoff appearances in seven years and two appearances in the NFC Championship Game. Gutekunst's big ticket free agents — Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney, Preston Smith, Za'Darius Smith and Adrian Amos — have all been terrific signings. He's drafted better than most give him credit for. And he had the guts to select quarterback Jordan Love and move on from future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. That courageous decision has the Packers in far better shape at the NFL's most important position than if Gutekunst had stuck with Rodgers. On the flip side, there's a reason the NFL's smallest city calls itself 'Titletown.' And it's been 15 years since the Packers have been to a Super Bowl. When the 2024 season ended, Gutekunst said, 'We need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency.' While many read that as a message for the team, it was also applicable to Gutekunst and LaFleur. It's quite possible that Gutekunst — who helped select LaFleur in Jan., 2019 — could survive a down year and have the chance to pick Green Bay's next head coach. But the best way for Gutekunst to ensure his long-term security would be for the 2025 Packers to win big. 'I think it's time we started competing for championships, right?' Gutekunst said at the end of the 2024 campaign. 'I think they're ready.' There's no question LaFleur needs a big season if he hopes to be back in 2026. LaFleur led the Packers to a 39-10 overall record his first three seasons in Green Bay (2019-2021), highlighted by trips to the NFC Championship Game in both 2019 and 2020. Green Bay has gone 28-23, though, the last three seasons (.549). And the Packers have just one playoff win since reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2020. LaFleur's overall record of 67-33 is certainly impressive. But he's also coming off arguably the worst of his six seasons as Green Bay's head coach and the bloom is certainly off the rose. While the Packers finished 11-7 in 2024 (including playoffs), they went 1-5 in the NFC North, their worst mark in the division since 2005. Green Bay was also 0-6 against the NFC's top three teams — Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota — and closed the year on a three-game losing streak. In addition, LaFleur struggled with clock management, challenge flags and his own emotions a year ago. During a Week 4 loss to Minnesota at Lambeau Field last season, LaFleur wanted a timeout, the officials didn't see him and he went irate. The result was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for his juvenile antics. 'I'm absolutely embarrassed that I got an unsportsmanlike (conduct penalty),' LaFleur said that day. 'When you expect composure from your team and then you're doing that, that's a bad look. I think we all can be better, myself No. 1 at the forefront of that. This is a humbling league at times.' During Green Bay's 34-31 loss at Detroit on Dec. 5, LaFleur got into a verbal altercation with a Lions fan before the game. The fan was on the field to hold the flag for the national anthem when he and LaFleur engaged in a lengthy, heated verbal battle. 'He was talking junk to our players, giving them the throat-slash sign, you know,' LaFleur said. 'You're trying to de-escalate it, and then he gets in my face.' The thing is LaFleur didn't de-escalate it. He made it worse. It was a bad look for both LaFleur and the Packers. And perhaps the greatest example of emotion trumping logic came on challenge plays, as LaFleur went 1-6 when throwing his red flag. Dating back to 2023, LaFleur is just 2-12 in his last 14 challenges. 'I'm gonna worry about winning games, and then we'll worry about getting the challenges right,' an irritated LaFleur said late last season. 'How about that?' There are four G.M./head coach duos that have been together longer than Gutekunst and LaFleur. And by most measures, all four have been better. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid and G.M. Brett Veach are beginning their ninth season together. In their first eight years, the Chiefs have played in five Super Bowls, won three championships, reached seven conference title games and won the AFC West all eight years. Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay also have eight years together. The Rams have won one Super Bowl in that time, lost another, reached the playoffs six of eight seasons and captured four NFC West titles. San Francisco general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan teamed up in 2017, as well. In that time, the 49ers reached two Super Bowls (both losses) and played in four NFC Championship Games. And Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott have been together since 2017. Those two reshaped a franchise that hadn't been to the playoffs since 1999 and have now led the Bills to the postseason six straight years and seven of eight overall. And while Buffalo hasn't been to a Super Bowl, it's played in two conference championship games and has won five straight AFC East division titles. The NFL has always meant 'Not For Long.' So while Gutekunst and LaFleur have done many impressive things, they haven't won to the level of their peers with longer tenures. And in this league, if you don't produce championships, your time eventually runs out. Only Policy himself knows if he's leaning towards sticking with the status quo or putting his own stamp on the organization. The best way for Gutekunst and LaFleur to impress their new boss is by making a deep playoff run. If they can't, what takes place off the field in Green Bay this season will be just as interesting as what happens on it.
Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
Player Holdouts Headline The Start Of NFL Training Camp
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 07: Trey Hendrickson #91 of the Cincinnati Bengals rushes the passer during ... More an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 7, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by) The start of NFL training camp began yesterday with teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders reporting for duty at their respective practice facilities. For two of these franchises, certain players didn't report to the team facility on opening day of training camp. The reasoning being largely due to their respective teams not honoring their contract extension requests. Below are three players who withheld their services to begin training camp and how far along are they from their contract disputes being resolved. WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 03: Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Commanders ... More celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the second quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 03, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by) Despite leading the 2024 Commanders in receptions (82), receiving yards (1096) and receiving touchdowns (13), Terry McLaurin has yet to receive a contract extension as he enters the final year of his three-year $68 million deal. He didn't report to the team's opening day of training camp yesterday and even sat out minicamp as a sign of protest. 'I've been pretty frustrated, I'm not going to lie,' McLaurin stated last week about his contract situation. 'Everything that has transpired up until this point has been disappointing and frustrating. I want to continue my career here. I've created my life here. My wife and I bought our first home here. This has been somewhere I've always wanted to be.' Despite McLaurin's emotions, he still desires to be with the team and not traded elsewhere. Whether that entails him playing for Washington in 2025 without a new deal remains to be seen. EDGE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals CINCINNATI, OHIO - NOVEMBER 03: Myles Murphy #99 and Trey Hendrickson #91 celebrate after ... More Hendrickson's sack in the fourth quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by) During the last two seasons, no player has had more sacks in the NFL than Cincinnati Bengals' pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson. His 35 quarterback takedowns feature consecutive 17.5 sack seasons with his most recent one making him the NFL regular -season sack leader for 2024. Hendrickson has developed into a four-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro since signing with the Bengals in 2021. Two years ago, he agreed on a one-year extension ahead of the 2023 season and now wants a long-term deal from the Bengals since outplaying the remainder of his contract. The soon-to-be 31-year-old told ESPN Adam Schefter that he wouldn't be reporting to Bengals training camp until his contract dispute was resolved. According to Schefter, Hendrickson's issue is that the Bengals refuse to guarantee his contract extension beyond the first season. During a May press conference, the eight-year-veteran let it be known that he would not play another down of football for the Bengals until his contract situation is resolved. Earlier this week at the team's annual media luncheon, Bengals owner Mike Brown placed the negotiation struggles between the franchise and Hendrickson on the player himself. 'We like Trey as a person,' Brown said. 'He's a good guy. But when it comes down to these negotiations, and we've been through a few of them with him, he pushes hard, he gets emotional.' Arguably one of the other biggest hurdles between both sides coming to a deal is Hendrickson's age. Cincinnati would be investing long-term money to a player over the age of thirty which is something it customarily hasn't done for older players in recent years. EDGE Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - APRIL 24: Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart poses after being ... More selected 17th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by) Cincinnati is also in strenuous contract talks with its other starting edge rusher in 2025 first-round selection Shemar Stewart. Stewart's case is a bit more nuanced as the Bengals have offered him a rookie contract with a clause that allows them to void his guaranteed money if he does anything that's potential conduct detrimental to the team. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, it's been rumored that Stewart's offered bonus payout structure is worse than las- year's 17th overall selection Dallas Turner. Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway even stated that the Bengals gave second-round selection Demetrius Knight Jr. 75 percent of his signing bonus upon signing which is an offer Stewart and his agency haven't been given despite being a first-round selection. 'I'm not asking for anything crazy,' Stewart said in May. 'I'm not even asking for nothing. I just want things to be consistent. I just want consistent language as in the past contracts. I just won't practice until I get that.' There's an outside chance that Stewart could sit out his entire rookie year and re-enter the NFL draft if he and the Bengals don't come to a long-term deal at some point this season.
