Republicans share ‘strong concerns’ about Trump plan to import grocery staple
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is raising concerns about the potential effects of the U.S. importing Argentinian beef after President Donald Trump floated the idea earlier this week.
Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., is leading seven other House GOP lawmakers in a letter to the president on Tuesday evening, warning the potential plan has rattled the multibillion-dollar American ranching industry.
“America’s cattle producers are among the most resilient and hardworking in the nation,” the Republicans wrote. “Collectively, the cattle industry supports thousands of jobs across our districts and contributes $112 billion to rural economies nationwide.”
“In recent days, we have heard strong concerns from producers regarding reports that the U.S. may import beef from Argentina.”
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The House Republicans acknowledged the “importance of strong trade relationships and diverse markets” but added that beef producers in their districts “are seeking clarity on how this decision will be made, what safety and inspection standards will apply, and how this policy aligns with your administration’s commitment to strengthening American agriculture.”
Trump suggested Sunday that buying beef from Argentina could help lower prices for Americans at home, amid a wider promise to lower costs for U.S. citizens.
“One of the things we’re thinking about doing is beef from Argentina,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
He later elaborated in his conversation with reporters, “We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.”
“Our groceries are down, our energy prices are down. I think we’re going to have $2 gasoline pretty soon. We’re getting close and everything’s down. The one thing that’s kept up is beef,” Trump said.
He added that it would not be “that much” but argued it would help Argentina, a U.S. ally, as well.
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But the House Republicans questioned whether imported beef would be held to the same food safety and animal health requirements as that of the U.S., which they called “the gold standard.”
“Any import policy must hold foreign suppliers to those same rigorous standards. Introducing beef from countries with inconsistent safety or inspection records could undermine the confidence that U.S. ranchers have worked decades to earn,” the lawmakers warned.
“We respectfully request additional information on this matter and urge your administration to ensure that any future decisions are made with full transparency, sound science, and a firm commitment to the U.S. cattle industry. America’s producers can compete with anyone in the world. If given an opportunity, they will continue to respond quickly to the market demand for more quality American beef in our grocery stores.”
In addition to Fedorchak, the letter is also signed by Reps. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., Troy Downing, R-Mont., Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Derek Schmidt, R-Kan., Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in response, “The Trump administration remains committed to addressing the needs and concerns of American cattle producers and safeguarding their interests at home and abroad. That’s why the administration has secured billions in new export opportunities for American agricultural products in our historic trade deals with the UK, Japan, the EU, and others.”
“It’s also why the administration is focused on reversing a prolonged decrease in the supply of live cattle by growing American cattle herds with robust action to deliver disaster relief to cattle country, support new ranchers, and reduce risk for cattle producers,” Desai said.
Trump’s proposal has stirred some anxiety among some Republicans whose constituencies depend on cattle ranching.
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., posted on X Tuesday, “If the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the way.”
“The U.S. has safe, reliable beef, and it is the one bright spot in our struggling ag economy. Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even,” Fischer wrote.
Meanwhile, Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., also raised significant concerns about what importing beef from Argentina could do to the U.S. cattle ranching industry during a call with fellow House Republicans on Tuesday.
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But some Republican responses were more muted. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters that Trump “definitely identified a problem” regarding a shortage of cattle in the U.S. He added, “I understand what he’s trying to get done. I think there’s more ways to implement it.”
Fedorchak herself told Fox News Digital, “We’ve all received a number of questions and calls from our constituents over the last few days, so we are asking for clarity on the administration’s long-term plans. Our farmers and ranchers stand ready to deliver on the president’s America-First agenda. North Dakotans take great pride in producing the safest, highest-quality beef in the world — and we should be building on that success.”
Mike Johnson hit with Dem-led lawsuit amid government shutdown chaos
The state of Arizona is suing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over the delayed swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona’s seventh Congressional district in the process,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said in a statement.
“By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona’s seventh Congressional district to taxation without representation. I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy.”
Johnson dismissed the lawsuit as a bid to get “national publicity” in comments to reporters earlier this week and on Tuesday evening.
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“I think it’s patently absurd. We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following the precedent,” Johnson said in response to the state attorney general. “She’s looking for national publicity, apparently she’s gotten some of it, but good luck with that.”
Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 to replace her father, late Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., after he passed away from cancer at age 77.
Johnson has repeatedly said that Grijalva will be sworn into office when the House returns to its regular sessions. But it’s not clear when exactly that will be — the House GOP leader has threatened to keep his lawmakers out of Washington, D.C., until the ongoing government shutdown is over.
It’s a bid to pressure Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to agree to the GOP’s plan to fund the federal government through Nov. 21.
But Schumer and his allies have resisted thus far, sinking the Republican-led bill 11 times and keeping the shutdown going for 21 days.
House Democrats have accused Johnson of playing politics and depriving Arizona’s 7th Congressional District of representation in the process.
“Republicans on vacation for four weeks — and one of the consequences of that is that Republicans have refused, now for four consecutive weeks, to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, depriving hundreds of thousands of people in the state of Arizona of the representation that they deserve, particularly during this challenging moment in the country,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Johnson, in response to Democrats’ criticism, has repeatedly pointed out that the House was not in session when Grijalva won her election.
He’s also argued that he was following precedent set by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who waited 25 days to swear in Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., in 2021.
Letlow had won a special election to replace her husband, Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., who died during the COVID-19 pandemic before he could be sworn into office in January 2021.
“We are not in legislative session. The chronology is important. Rep. Grijalva won her race, I think it was the last week of September, after we had already gone out of session. So I will administer the oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back,” Johnson said.
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“I’m willing and anxious to do that. In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents.”
Grijalva has argued she cannot perform her legislative or constituent duties without being sworn in first, which Johnson and Republicans have disputed.
But her swearing-in is also key to the ongoing battle over Jeffrey Epstein documents going on in the House.
Once made a member of Congress, Grijalva is expected to be the deciding signature on a measure aimed at forcing a House-wide vote on releasing Epstein documents in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) possession.
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The measure, called a discharge petition, is designed to end-run House leaders on specific legislation — provided it has a majority of lawmakers’ signatures.
Johnson and House GOP leaders have called the measure superfluous and political, pointing to the chamber’s own ongoing investigation and procedures aimed at widening transparency into Epstein’s case.
However, the speaker has signaled he would not block the measure if it came to the House floor when Grijalva was sworn in.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for a response but did not immediately hear back.
Gov Moore defends veto of reparations commission, calls for immediate action instead
Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore argued to radio host Charlamagne tha God that the time of commissioned studies into reparations is over, arguing in favor of immediate action to serve Black communities.
Moore, America’s only sitting Black governor, ruffled feathers among his allies when he vetoed reparations legislation in May. Moore vetoed SB 587, legislation sponsored by state Sen. C. Anthony Muse, D-Forest Heights, that would have established the Maryland Reparations Commission. The commission would have been tasked with providing recommendations by 2027 “relating to appropriate benefits to be offered to African Americans impacted by slavery and historic inequality.”
Many Black interest groups appeared to interpret this as him being against reparations, something Charlamagne asked the governor during his Tuesday interview.
“I saw you get a little flak because you vetoed a measure to create a commission to study potential slavery reparations in the state of Maryland. But, to me, you had a valid reason if people actually heard your whole statement,” Charlamagne said.
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“Exactly. I mean, listen, what I said was, ‘I’m a person of action. I don’t need more studies.’ I’m like, ‘We’ve done four studies over the past 20 years on similar types of elements,'” he said. “By the way, one of which my wife worked on. And, so, when we’re now talking about doing a two-year study on something that I already know the answer to, I’m like, ‘What are we studying?’”
He argued that he is already doing the actual work to address the problem.
“Frankly, I’ve been working very closely with the members of our caucus and members of the community around a whole series of these issues,” he said.
“It’s the reason that we just authorized $400 million for our Just Communities initiative, which made sure that we’re putting $400 million of additional capital into communities that have been the subject — that have been truly hurt by racist and discriminatory policies — things like redlining, things like mass incarceration, things like highway construction that cut off neighborhoods that we’ve said, ‘We are going to identify all those communities and neighborhoods, and we’re starting off with just $400 million that’s going specifically to those neighborhoods to address the racist policies of the past.’
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“It’s the reason that we’ve done things like historic investments in our HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] because they’ve been historically neglected and pulled back on,” he added. “It’s the reason we’ve done things like mass pardons and giving people a second chance at life, because who do people think that is going to benefit most? It’s the reason we’ve done things like procurement reform and created Black millionaires inside of the state of Maryland.”
Moore said he was “unapologetic” about his support for the Black community.
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Iconic temple free of scaffolding for first time in 200 years, but tourists must rush
For the first time in 200 years, visitors can see Greece’s most iconic historic landmark free of scaffolding. But anyone who’s interested needs to act fast to catch the view.
The Parthenon temple, which sits upon Athens’ famed Acropolis Hill, has been the subject of continuous restoration efforts since the early 19th century.
On Oct. 11, The Associated Press reported that the latest scaffolding project on the Parthenon’s western facade — going on since 2005 — had concluded.
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The view of the temple is completely clear for the first time in years.
The removal of the scaffolding has made a dramatic difference for tourists, as the Parthenon’s western facade provides the best view of the temple from the street.
Lina Mendoni, Greece’s culture minister, said during an interview on Skai radio that the scaffolding was removed in late September.
“It is like they are seeing a completely different monument,” said Mendoni.
But the pause is temporary.
Mendoni said new scaffolding will be put up in early November, though these structures will be less of an eyesore.
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The scaffolding will be “lighter and aesthetically much closer to the logic of the monument,” the official said.
Conservation work will likely conclude early next summer.
At that point, “the Parthenon will be completely freed of this scaffolding too, and people will be able to see it truly free,” Mendoni said.
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The Parthenon is one of the most popular tourist sites in Greece, attracting about 4.5 million visitors in 2024.
The temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dates back to the 5th century B.C.
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It was built to honor Athena, the patron goddess of Athens.
Former ESPN host ‘maddened’ as daughter guards ‘naturally born boy’ in girls game
Former ESPN employee Sam Ponder is witnessing one of her strongest oppositions come to life before her own eyes.
Ponder said last month that it is “ridiculous” to have transgender athletes compete against biological women and girls in sports.
On Monday, Ponder took to social media, explaining that her middle school daughter was “guarding an obviously naturally born boy in a girls (basketball) tournament.”
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“It’s happened many times now living in NYC… The parents cheer while the boy is physical and dominant against the girls. The all-girls team loses,” Ponder posted on X.
“We’ve taught our kids to never make fun of the kid… to always be kind and loving. That the parents are the problem. That no kid is born in the wrong body. But if I’m honest, watching my daughter get posted up by a boy whose parents have deceived him in this way is maddening.”
Neither the city of New York nor the state has regulations regarding trans athletes, but there is currently a legal battle in Long Island’s Nassau County.
Ponder responded to numerous X users, saying that the “boy” in question was not at fault but rather the parents.
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Ponder appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Saturday in America” with Kayleigh McEnany last month and talked about her decision to speak out against transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The topic has been hotly debated in recent years, with Lia Thomas winning an NCAA title in 2022, and now the Trump administration demanding U.S. schools to comply with Title IX.
“There is no way in this country, especially in sports, you shouldn’t be able to say on your social media accounts, ‘I don’t think men should be in women’s sports.’ This is something – I talk to athletes all the time, 99.9% of professional athletes, like we know this is ridiculous,” she said.
“And the fact that we haven’t been able to say it boldly – but with kindness and some humility – is insane. It is insane we’ve gotten to this point in sports that we just can’t be honest about what’s true and not be a jerk about it but to say, ‘Yeah, you’re not putting a male in my daughter’s locker room. It’s not happening.’”
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Transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports continue to be a major topic in 2025. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring men from competing in girls’ and women’s sports in February. Since then, several states have thumbed their nose at the order.
Senate leader says Trump pick ‘not going to pass’ following controversial messages
Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead a government watchdog agency on Tuesday after his inflammatory rhetoric came to a head this week in a report about race-fueled text messages he purportedly sent.
Ingrassia’s decision to remove himself from consideration comes two days before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs was set to consider his nomination.
“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia wrote on social media.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., quashed all hope of Ingrassia’s confirmation on Monday, saying, “He’s not going to pass.” When asked on Tuesday if it would be a mistake for Ingrassia to appear for his hearing, Thune laughed and said, “Yeah.”
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Ingrassia, 30, said in a group chat, according to Politico, that he sometimes had a “Nazi streak” in him, and he used the term “moulignon,” an Italian slur for black people, to call for doing away with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month.
The leaked chat was only the latest controversy as Ingrassia has floated around the administration.
In July, Ingrassia faced a formal complaint from a lower-ranking female colleague who alleged, according to Politico, that when they arrived at a hotel for a work trip in Orlando, she found she did not have a room and was informed by Ingrassia that she would be sharing one with him. The woman, who did end up sharing a room with him, later retracted the complaint and Ingrassia also disputed it.
Ingrassia has publicly defended social media influencer and self-described “misogynist” Andrew Tate, and previously worked at a law firm that said he was on Tate’s legal team before his July 2024 admission to the New York bar. Tate and his brother face U.K. charges of rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, filed by the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2025. They deny the allegations.
Ingrassia was first hired as a White House liaison at the Department of Justice, where he was briefly put in charge of hiring Trump loyalists at the department. But he abruptly left and took a job at the Department of Homeland Security instead.
President Donald Trump nominated Ingrassia in May to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency (unaffiliated with the DOJ) that vets workplace complaints from federal employees.
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“Paul is a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar, who has done a tremendous job serving as my White House Liaison for Homeland Security,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
Ingrassia denied the text messages to Politico, saying through his lawyer that even if they were real, “they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’”
Ingrassia has been scrutinized time and again for controversial writings, and pressure had been building on Trump to yank his nomination.
In a since deleted X post days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, Ingrassia called the Palestine-Israel conflict a “psyop.”
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A coalition of Jewish organizations was among those who called for Ingrassia’s nomination to be withdrawn.
“Mr. Ingrassia’s public statements and associations with people who espouse antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic views, raise serious questions about his ability to carry out these responsibilities with the integrity, impartiality, and commitment required of the office,” the coalition wrote.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Ingrassia was no longer the nominee.
Jon Stewart makes surprising observation about Trump during Sanders interview
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., didn’t exactly have praise for President Donald Trump on Monday during an interview on “The Daily Show,” but he did appear to say he had a better sense of America’s situation than the Democratic Party.
“He may be crazy, he may be a pathological liar, but he’s not stupid,” Sanders told host Jon Stewart.
Stewart jokingly called the comment “passive-aggressive,” and Sanders went on to say the president had correctly highlighted the “system is broken” although he was making it worse.
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“The truth is, the system is broken. [Trump] is making it worse,” the Vermont senator added. “But the Democrats have to acknowledge that this system is broken.”
Stewart went on to commend his guest’s “consistent” messaging, claiming that the “true inheritor of the Sanders revolution is Trump,” while adding Trump was the “most socialist president” of his lifetime.
“Taking a percentage of companies to do business, that’s a Bernie Sanders idea. Doing a Trump Rx where the government is involved in selling pharmaceuticals, that’s a Bernie Sanders idea,” Stewart continued.
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Trump touted a “historic agreement” with Intel in August, guaranteeing the government an equity stake in the tech conglomerate after making an $8.9 billion investment in the company to expand the “domestic semiconductor industry.”
Stewart continued to ask Sanders, “Is it frustrating that the thing that you fought for your whole career — Democrats are the ones who run away from, scared, and he’s embraced some of it?”
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“Yeah, that’s true,” Sanders said.
He went on to plead that the Democratic Party has to “acknowledge [the] bloody reality” of things, like the health care system being “broken.”
When continuing to list how elements of the government and its politics could be improved, Sanders said, “We need the Democratic Party to be very clear. The campaign system [and] current campaign finance system is broken. You got to get rid of Citizens United. You got to move to public funding of elections, give everybody a chance to participate in our democracy.”
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Cracker Barrel CEO makes admission to investors about the logo change
Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino told an investing conference on Tuesday that the company updated its logo so that it was more visible on highway billboards.
She noted that the move wasn’t meant to be ideological, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Part of this transformation is setting up success for the long term,” Masino said during the 13D Monitor Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York City on Tuesday.
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Those plans quickly came to a halt after public outcry forced the company to reverse the move.
FOX Business reached out to Cracker Barrel for comment.
In mid-August, Cracker Barrel introduced a new logo, replacing the familiar illustration of “Uncle Herschel” with a modern design featuring only the company’s name. It faced an onslaught of backlash, including from President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social that the company should admit it made a mistake and “manage the company better.”
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Its stock also took a hit, and eventually it prompted the restaurant chain to reverse course just a week later.
The company initially defended its decision to change its logo, saying the Uncle Herschel character “will still be on our menu (welcome back Uncle Herschel’s Favorite Breakfast Platter), on our road signs and featured in our country store. He’s not going anywhere — he’s family.”
The company also admitted it could have done a “better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be” after customers expressed outrage over the restaurant chain’s new logo. However, it wasn’t enough to change the public sentiment.
During the conference, Felss Masino also discussed what it’s been like being targeted by an activist investor for over a decade, according to the Journal.
Sardar Biglari has taken aim at the restaurant chain since 2011. Biglari, founder of Biglari Capital Corp., which owns 2.9% of Cracker Barrel’s common stock, has run seven proxy contests at the chain.
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Biglari is also the CEO of Biglari Holdings Inc., which is the parent company that owns restaurant chains such as Steak ’n Shake and Western Sizzlin.
Just last month, Biglari tried to convince the board to overhaul its leadership for allegedly destroying shareholder value.
“We are seeking shareholder support to vote against these directors not only due to the severe destruction of shareholder value but also a deeper failure to understand the brand, its customers, and its heritage, and a failure to fulfill the Board’s most important job, selecting the right CEO,” Biglari Capital wrote in the proxy filing.
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Biglari Capital said the board and management both “betrayed the company’s heritage, alienated loyal customers and undermined investor confidence” through their strategies.
Sean Payton’s postgame jab at Russell Wilson sparks fiery response from his old QB
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart his flowers after an epic come-from-behind win for the Broncos Sunday.
But Payton wanted to face the veteran Super Bowl champion quarterback the Giants have behind Dart, Russell Wilson.
“They found a little spark with that quarterback,” Payton said of Dart during his postgame press conference after Denver’s 33-32 victory. “I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said we were hoping that change would’ve happened long after our game.”
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While Payton could’ve simply meant Dart gave his team problems — the Giants held a 26-8 lead late in the fourth quarter before a thrilling comeback — Wilson didn’t appreciate the words from his former Broncos coach.
These two have obvious history, and Wilson viewed his former head coach’s comments as “classless.”
“Classless… but not surprised… Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson posted on X with some laughing emoji and his famous #LetsRide hashtag he used while a member of the Broncos from 2022-23.
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Wilson’s “bounty hunting” comment is also a jab at Payton’s scandal while head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The NFL found Payton’s squad guilty of placing a bounty on targeted players, leading to the head coach’s season-long suspension in 2012 as part of the severe punishment from the league.
The relationship between Wilson and Payton was rocky, to say the least, after the former was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in 2022. It didn’t last long for Wilson. Payton benched him in 2023, and he was released during the 2024 offseason despite Denver taking on a whopping $85 million in dead money.
Wilson ended up going 11-19 in his starts for Denver with zero playoff appearances.
Wilson wasn’t happy with his benching in 2023, especially after he said the Broncos threatened to bench him earlier that year if he did not waive an injury guarantee in his contract. Wilson had $37 million guaranteed if he could not pass a physical on the fifth day of the new league year in March 2024.
Greg Penner, the Broncos’ owner and CEO, denied the team ever threatened Wilson. He said the franchise wanted to negotiate “in good faith” about contract adjustments, though Wilson said he would be getting the NFLPA involved. The NFLPA later sent a letter to the Broncos stating that any threat would be a violation of the league’s CBA.
Still being paid by the Broncos, Wilson signed a veteran minimum deal for one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants signed Wilson this past offseason, as well as Jameis Winston, to provide a veteran presence around Dart, who New York traded back in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to snag out of Ole Miss.
Head coach Brian Daboll made it clear all through training camp that Wilson was the starter for his team, but after three straight losses to open the season, the switch was made to Dart. Dart won his first NFL start in a massive upset over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ AFC West nemesis, at MetLife Stadium in Week 4.
Dart and the Giants should’ve been victorious in Denver, too, but a collapse of epic proportions ensued with Wil Lutz drilling a game-winning field goal to cement the biggest comeback win this season in the NFL.
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It remains Dart’s offense for the foreseeable future with Wilson backing him up in New York.