When Jaguars kicker Cam Little booted a 70-yard field goal on Saturday, it did not break the official NFL record, because preseason stats don’t count. But it did break the unofficial record for the longest field goal ever kicked in any football game at any level.
Little’s 70-yard field goal was one yard longer than the NCAA record of 69 yards, set by Abilene Christian’s Ove Johansson in 1976.
Johansson was aided by a strong wind at his back. In fact, it was such a windy day across Texas that on that same day in 1976, Texas A&M’s Tony Franklin hit both a 65-yard field goal and a 64-yard field goal. Johansson also had the benefit that in those days, college football holders could place the ball on a tee for field goals, which elevated the ball and promoted longer kicks.
Little had neither of those advantages. He just had his strong leg, and he now has the distinction of kicking the longest field goal in any football game, even if it won’t appear in the NFL record book.
The first test of Travis Hunter’s ability to play both ways in an NFL game is in the books.
Hunter played 10 snaps at wide receiver and eight snaps at cornerback in Saturday’s 31-25 loss to the Steelers. Hunter caught two passes on the team’s opening drive and had a third catch wiped out by a penalty before missing a tackle in his time on defense.
“He made a couple good catches on some option routes and missed the one tackle defensively that I noticed,” head coach Liam Coen said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “I’ll have to watch the tape on how he operated defensively a little bit more, but I thought offensively, he made the right decisions on those option routes. Made a good catch, almost broke out of that one where Trevor [Lawrence] put it behind him on that third down we talked about, but I’ll have to go watch the tape a little bit more to know more.”
Hunter said he was nervous at the start of the game, but calmed down after the first play and said he knows “what I’ve got to do next time” now that he has his first NFL game action under his belt.
If the game had counted, it could have been a record. By four yards.
Jaguars kicker Cam Little nailed a 70-yard field goal as the first half expired in Jacksonville’s preseason opener against the Steelers.
A sixth-round pick in 2024 and the team’s kicker last season, Little got his second NFL season started with a bang.
Last season, he made 27 of 29 field goals and 27 of 27 extra points. Along the way, he made a 59-yard field goal.
Former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker holds the record, with a 66-yard field goal in 2021 against the Lions.
Little the only kicker on the Jacksonville roster. With kicks like the one he made tonight, he won’t have to worry about the Jaguars bringing in competition.
Cornerback Levi Wallace’s bid to make the Jaguars has come to an end.
The Jags placed Wallace on injured reserve Saturday. Defensive back Aydan White was signed to the 90-man roster.
White was waived by the Jaguars when they signed Wallace last weekend, so he won’t have much catching up to do.
Wallace played in 13 games for the Broncos last season and has appeared in 96 career games for Denver, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. He has 333 tackles, 12 interceptions, and a fumble recovery in those appearances.
White was initially signed this spring after going undrafted out of N.C. State.
The Raiders will be in New England to face the Patriots in Week 1, but Tom Brady won’t be at the matchup between two teams he has close ties to on September 7th.
Brady will be in the broadcast booth at Northwest Stadium with Kevin Burkhardt for Fox Sports’ broadcast of the Giants and the Commanders. Sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will also be at the matchup between NFC East clubs.
The same crew will also call Fox’s marquee matchup in Week 2. They will be in Kansas City for a Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and the Chiefs.
Fox also announced that Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, and Pam Oliver will be on the call for the 49ers’ visit to Seattle in Week 1.
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Megan Olivi will be in Atlanta for the Buccaneers-Falcons game while Kevin Kugler, Moose Johnston, and Allison Williams will call the action for the Browns’ home game against the Bengals. Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, and Jen Hale will be the network’s team for the Panthers’ visit to the Jaguars. Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, and Kristina Pink will call the Titans’ road game against the Broncos.
Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino remain the Fox rules analysts for the 2025 season.
Jaguars first-round pick Travis Hunter is playing both offense and defense in his first NFL training camp and the double-duty isn’t causing him any extra stress.
Hunter is used to playing both wide receiver and cornerback from his time at Colorado and it sounds like it has been business as usual for him so far in the NFL. During an appearance on Up & Adams, Hunter was asked how difficult it has been to work on both sides of the ball this summer.
“It’s not hard at all, if I’m being honest,” Hunter said. “The first off day that we had and I came back and did both sides, that’s the only thing that got to me. After that, I’ve been good.”
Hunter’s two-way activities will continue in Jacksonville’s preseason game against the Steelers. That won’t answer Rams wide receiver Davante Adams’s doubts about Hunter to play “at a high level” in the role for a long time, but it will give a glimpse at one of the most intriguing players to enter the league this year.
As it turns out, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will not ask quarterback Aaron Rodgers to play in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener.
Tomlin told reporters on Thursday that Rodgers is among a long list of major Steelers contributors who will not be on the field against the Jaguars on Saturday night.
“I’ve identified some guys that won’t be playing in this game this week,” Tomlin said, via Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show. “It has nothing to do with injury. They need less runway to take off, to be quite honest with you, because of their experience and where they are in their careers. Oftentimes, I preserve them through this process while providing more opportunity for those that need more preparation, or more opportunity to display their talents and so forth.”
Tomlin then listed many players who won’t play, including Rodgers, edge rusher T.J. Watt, defensive lineman Cam Heyward, receiver DK Metcalf, defensive back Jalen Ramsey, tight end Pat Freiermuth, and tight end Jonnu Smith — among others.
Rodgers had said earlier this week that he was “fully on board” to play in the first preseason game if that’s what Tomlin wanted. Rodgers last played in the preseason in 2023 with the Jets, but before that he hadn’t participated in a preseason game since 2018.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen says he plans to play all his starters in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Steelers.
“We will play everybody,” Coen said.
That includes rookie second overall pick Travis Hunter, who will play on both offense and defense. Although the Jaguars have said they don’t want to throw too much at Hunter, Coen made clear that he wants Hunter to get some reps at both wide receiver and cornerback.
Coen said the team’s veteran leaders, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence and center Robert Hainsey, wanted to get some full-speed work in this preseason. Coen said Hainsey was one of the most vocal players about the importance of the team getting reps together in the preseason.
“He was one of the guys that kind of convinced me,” Coen said of Hainsey. “He came in the weight room on his day off, we talked about it — he wanted to play, a lot of the guys want to play.”
Coen is a new head coach with a new staff, and on Saturday fans will get their first chance to see what the Jaguars’ new offense and defense look like. As well as their first chance to see last year’s Heisman Trophy winner play on both offense and defense in the NFL.
The big question surrounding Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter is whether he’ll play more at wide receiver or more at cornerback. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a strong preference.
Lawrence said on NFL Network that he has quickly become a big fan of Hunter’s skill set and wants to be able to throw as many passes as he can to Hunter.
“He’s so talented, it’s hard to keep him off the field,” Lawrence said of Hunter. “Selfishly, I definitely want him on offense more. And I told him, ‘Do you want to catch touchdowns or do you want to maybe break up a pass or two? That’s a decision you have to make.’ He’ll make plays wherever he is, but obviously as a quarterback I hope he plays more on offense. Wherever he plays to make us better, because he will make us better, I’m all for wherever that is.”
The Jaguars are only 22-38 in the 60 regular-season games Lawrence has started so far in his NFL career, but Lawrence says it’s “very realistic” to expect them to be a playoff team this year.
“You’ve got to go prove it on Sundays this fall, so it doesn’t really matter what I say, but I feel very confident in this team, and I think we’re a talented team,” Lawrence said.
By drafting Hunter, they added talent on both sides of the ball.
Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead has yet to practice in training camp.
Coach Liam Coen originally explained Armstead’s absence to “a little bit of a veteran start.” Two weeks later, Armstead still hasn’t taken a practice rep.
Coen said this week that Armstead is out indefinitely with a back injury, which Coen admits makes Armstead’s availability for Week 1 uncertain.
“Ultimately, he’ll probably know how to get himself ready to go, I would hope,” Coen said, via Mark Long of the Associated Press. “The key is just making sure that he’s healthy and ready to go for the first game. Ultimately, it’s a long season, as we know.
“Not to say that early [games] aren’t obviously as important as late ones, but it is a long season, and we’re really just trying to get him to be as healthy as possible.”
Armstead, 31, signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Jaguars in the 2024 offseason, but he started only one game, played fewer than 50 percent of the defensive snaps in 17 games and made only two sacks. Midway through the season, Armstead asked to move back to defensive tackle.
He is listed as a starting defensive tackle on the Jaguars’ initial depth chart for the 2025 season.
“Just being out there more I’m going to be more productive,” Armstead said. “They’re not paying me as a situational player.”
