NC State Professional Athletes

The Biggest Story Isn't in the NFL — It's About It

The most consequential NC State alumni story this week didn't happen on a football field. It happened in a coaching search office.

Philip Rivers — Hall of Fame quarterback, NC State legend, and current high school coach — has emerged as the frontrunner to become the Wolfpack's next head football coach, according to multiple reports. On3's Chris Low, Brett McMurphy, and Pete Nakos reported that Rivers has "emerged as the focus" of the search after Dave Doeren was fired. Rivers himself tempered expectations in a candid video, saying "nothing's imminent," but the buzz hasn't died down.

The intrigue runs deeper than nostalgia. Rivers' son Gunner is already committed to NC State, giving him a personal stake in the program's future. The catch? Rivers has been coaching at the high school level — a significant jump to a major FBS program that carries real risk. The Sporting News made the case that the Wolfpack should take the leap anyway, pointing to the family ties and the program's need for a transformational hire to jolt fan energy after Doeren's tenure ended sourly.

Rivers' NFL career has also formally wound down. After an injury-prompted return to the Indianapolis Colts, Rivers is not expected back under center in the league. The coaching door, however, appears wide open.

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Wilson Makes the Play That Mattered Most

On the field, Payton Wilson delivered when Pittsburgh needed it. The linebacker recorded a key interception in the Steelers' 16–10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, a play that head coach Mike McCarthy singled out publicly afterward. According to Sports Illustrated, quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a direct role in setting up the pick — a sign of the veteran's leadership extending beyond the offense. McCarthy's praise of Wilson post-game underscored just how critical the stop was in a tight, low-scoring contest. The former Wolfpack standout is carving out a real role in Pittsburgh's defense.

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Around the Rest of the Pack

Jacoby Brissett had a rough Sunday in Arizona, throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown but absorbing a 30–16 loss to Denver that dropped the Cardinals to 2–5. The pressure around Brissett's job security is mounting — CBS Sports has recommended the Cardinals move him ahead of the trade deadline, and multiple outlets are calling for Carson Beck to get his shot. Brissett isn't playing poorly enough to be benched on performance alone, but Arizona's season is spiraling fast.

Alim McNeill and the Lions edged Green Bay 20–17 on Sunday, with Sports Illustrated previewing a potential big game for the defensive tackle against the Packers — though detailed stat lines from McNeill weren't available in the box score.

AJ Cole punted for the Raiders in a 35–21 loss to the Rams, with Las Vegas' offense offering little help. Jakobi Meyers was limited in Jaguars practice this week coming off a bye, worth monitoring as Jacksonville tries to get healthy.

The NC State alumni corps is spread wide across the league — but this week, all roads lead back to Raleigh.

Brissett Pulls Off the Week's Biggest Upset

It wasn't pretty — 218 passing yards, one interception, and a grand total of two rushing yards — but Jacoby Brissett didn't need a highlight reel performance to hand the Los Angeles Rams one of the most stunning losses of the 2026 NFL season. The NC State alum quarterbacked the Arizona Cardinals to an 18-16 last-second victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, a result that qualifies as one of the week's most substantial upsets regardless of how the box score reads.

The win improves Brissett to 2-4 as Arizona's starter this season, and according to Cardinals insiders, it's enough to meaningfully extend his timeline as the team's starting QB. That's not nothing for a veteran signal-caller who has spent much of his career fighting for roster footing — and it's a win Wolfpack fans can feel good about regardless of their feelings on the 2026 Cardinals.

On the same field, NC State's Dylan McMahon and Larrell Murchison were on the losing side for the Rams, along with Jordan Waters and Mario Williams. A rough Sunday in LA for several Wolfpack alums — except the one behind center for the other team.

Meyers Fights Through a Tough London Afternoon

In Jacksonville, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was one of the few bright spots in a 31-34 Jaguars loss to the Texans — played, for the second consecutive week, across the Atlantic in London. Meyers hauled in 5 catches for 83 yards as Jacksonville's offense struggled to find traction against Houston's defense, finishing pointless in the first quarter and never fully recovering. The production puts Meyers among the more reliable Wolfpack contributors in the league this week, even in a losing effort.

Chubb Fined After Altercation

Bradley Chubb's week came with a side of league discipline. The Bills linebacker was fined following an on-field altercation with the Raiders' Alaric Jackson — an incident that resulted in Jackson's suspension but didn't spare Chubb from financial punishment. The NFL drew a line between the two players' conduct without equating them, but Chubb's wallet took the hit either way.

Back in Raleigh: Philip Rivers for Head Coach?

The most consequential NC State football news this week may not involve the NFL at all — except that it does, in a roundabout way. Following the firing of longtime Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren, NC State is reportedly considering former quarterback Philip Rivers as a head coaching candidate, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Rivers — who played college ball at NC State before a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career — has a son, Gunner, already committed to the Wolfpack program, adding a personal dimension to what would otherwise be a long-shot hire.

Rivers has no prior coaching experience at any level, and the search includes more conventional candidates. But the name recognition, alumni loyalty, and family ties make the Rivers angle impossible to dismiss — and for NC State fans watching Brissett win games in the desert, it was a week that put the Wolfpack firmly on the NFL map from multiple directions.

Bradley Chubb won the fight without throwing a punch — and the NFL made it official this week.

The NC State product and Bills linebacker emerged from one of the league's most-talked-about postgame incidents with a modest taunting fine, while Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson was handed a two-game suspension for sucker-punching Chubb in the face following Buffalo's 37-34 overtime win in Los Angeles on Monday Night Football. It's the kind of outcome that tends to validate the "keep your cool" sermon coaches give every week.

Chubb didn't stay completely clean — the NFL fined him $14,329 for taunting Jackson before the punch was thrown. But he was candid about his role in escalating the moment, openly discussing with reporters what he said to Jackson in the aftermath of the Bills' Week 5 victory. Whatever words he chose, they cost Jackson far more than they cost Chubb. Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed his lineman's lapse in judgment tersely: "He has to consistently do a better job." Jackson will miss two games as a result, a significant penalty that underscores just how one-sided the NFL's ruling landed.

For Wolfpack fans, it's a rare moment where an alumnus is the center of a national NFL story for reasons that have nothing to do with what happened on the field — and somehow comes out looking like the level-headed one.

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Elsewhere Around the League

Jacoby Brissett is living on borrowed time in Arizona. The veteran QB put up serviceable numbers in the Cardinals' Week 5 loss to Detroit — 292 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception — but a 45-21 defeat doesn't leave much room for positive spin. The pressure to bench Brissett in favor of rookie Carson Beck is growing louder, with ESPN analysts already floating potential timelines for a change. The Cardinals' struggles are systemic, but the QB position is where the scrutiny lands.

Drake Thomas didn't factor into Seattle's Week 5 loss to San Francisco — the Seahawks linebacker was ruled out against the 49ers, and coach Mike Macdonald offered little optimism afterward, declining to say whether additional rest would have been enough to get Thomas on the field. Seattle dropped a tight one, 32-29, and is now navigating its linebacker depth with some uncertainty.

Germaine Pratt resurfaced on the Colts' practice squad after being re-signed by Indianapolis — a quiet transaction, but notable for a veteran who spent time as a starter. His Wolfpack classmate Payton Wilson had a solid Week 5 with Pittsburgh in the Steelers' 34-22 win over the Colts, one of the better matchup quirks of the weekend for NC State alumni watchers.

Jakobi Meyers logged two catches for 37 yards in Jacksonville's narrow 19-17 win over Philadelphia — a modest line, but the Jaguars' offense is leaning on him as an increasing factor in their receiving game as the Brian Thomas Jr. situation continues to generate trade speculation around the league.

The Meltdown at MetLife

NC State's most prominent NFL alumnus had one of the ugliest afternoons of his career on Sunday, and the fallout is loud.

Jacoby Brissett entered Week 4 with genuine momentum. Since 2025, he'd posted an 18-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in road games — one of the better splits at the position. The Arizona Cardinals were the more talented team on paper. They'd even had remarkable historical success at MetLife Stadium. None of it mattered.

Against the New York Giants, Brissett threw three interceptions and finished with just 166 passing yards and 18 rushing yards in a 36-24 Cardinals loss that dropped Arizona to 1-3. The killer blow came at the worst possible moment: Deonte Banks intercepted Brissett in the end zone in the game's final seconds and returned it 98 yards for a pick-six, turning what could have been a manageable defeat into an exclamation-point embarrassment.

Arizona's fan base responded accordingly, calling for a quarterback change. The Cardinals organization has not obliged. Head coach and front office voices doubled down on Brissett publicly in the days that followed, with players and coaches pushing back on the narrative that he should be pulled. Brissett himself acknowledged the losses have "upped urgency" but insisted there is "no panic" inside the building.

The offensive infrastructure deserves scrutiny too. Coordinator Mike LaFleur's unit has shown it can score points in flashes, but the inconsistency across four weeks — particularly in late-game situations — is a pattern that goes beyond one quarterback's bad Sunday. Still, three interceptions, a walk-off pick-six, and a 1-3 record make Brissett the undeniable face of Arizona's crisis.

Elsewhere Around the League

The Brissett story dominated the NC State alumni week, but two other Wolfpack products made notable contributions on Sunday.

Linebacker Drake Thomas had a timely play for the Seattle Seahawks in their 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers — recording an interception on the very first play from scrimmage to set the tone early. It was the kind of turnover that flips field position and momentum simultaneously, and Seattle cashed in.

In Buffalo, linebacker Bradley Chubb and the Bills were on the wrong side of an upset. The New England Patriots edged Buffalo 29-26 on October 4, with Drake Maye frustrating the Bills' pass rush all afternoon — scrambling out of pressure in a way that Chubb and company couldn't consistently solve. Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and his legs added another dimension that kept the Bills' defense off-balance throughout.

Jakobi Meyers caught three passes for 33 yards in the Jaguars' 22-17 win over Cincinnati — a modest afternoon for the receiver, but Jacksonville came away with the win. Alim McNeill logged a tackle-sack for Detroit in a 26-32 loss to Carolina, as the Lions' defense continues to search for answers after a shaky early stretch.

The week belonged to Brissett's implosion, though — and with the Lions coming to Arizona in Week 5, the pressure on the NC State quarterback to respond won't get any lighter.