The Michigan Wolverines are closing a deal to hire the former Giants defensive coordinator to take over the same post with the reigning national champions, according to a source.

Martindale, 60, is a home run hire for new Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore.

His Baltimore Ravens defenses ranked second, third and second in scoring, respectively, from 2018 through 2020. The Ravens won the AFC North twice in that span and went to the playoffs all three years.

His 2022 Giants defense paced the team’s 6-1 start and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016 with significant improvements on third down (from No. 16 in the NFL to No. 5) and in the red zone (from No. 9 to No. 5).

His 2023 Giants defense tied for the NFL lead in takeaways (31) and scored three touchdowns on pick-sixes. That included 11 takeaways in a three-game span from Weeks 11-14 to pace a three-game winning streak that prevented the bottom from falling out on a 2-8 start.

Martindale is also the only NFC defensive coordinator ever to beat Ravens two-time MVP Lamar Jackson (20-1) in Jackson’s 21 games against teams from that conference. His Giants forced two fourth quarter takeaways to beat Baltimore, 24-20, in Week 6 of the 2022 season.

He was a free agent after resigning from the Giants in early January. He is one of eight Giants coaches in the past month who either got fired or voluntarily left Brian Daboll’s staff.

Former Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who was fired after the season, just landed as Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ new special teams coordinator, as well.

Martindale brings an NFL pedigree and a familiar scheme to Moore’s Wolverines.

Recent Michigan defensive coordinators Mike McDonald (Seattle Seahawks head coach) and Jesse Minter (L.A. Chargers defensive coordinator) both worked on Martindale’s Ravens defensive staff under Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh before flexing their play-calling muscles in Ann Arbor, Mich.

So Martindale’s blitz-heavy, man-to-man scheme will give Moore’s Michigan players and program some consistency on that side of the ball.

McDonald and Minter both worked for Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a national championship this past season, got hired as the Chargers’ new head coach and took Minter with him.

Martindale, interestingly enough, was born in Dayton, Ohio, and now will coach against the Ohio State Buckeyes in one of college football’s greatest rivalries.

It was surprising that Martindale did not land one of the NFL’s defensive coordinator vacancies with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys among the intriguing openings.

But joining Michigan puts him in a prominent position to win football games in the national spotlight and make a long run in college or an eventual return to the pros.

News broke earlier in the day that the 76-year-old was diagnosed with prostate cancer, after a report was widely shared from Miami’s ABC affiliate Local10, citing sources close to the matter.

Somehow, a rumor seemed to get back to “The Juice” that people thought he was in hospice care, because he then took to X, sharing a video from behind the wheel of his car and telling the camera, “I’m not in any hospice, I don’t know who put that out there.”

Hospice??? pic.twitter.com/OXLzs9jWO6

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) February 9, 2024

Simpson didn’t address the cancer or chemo reports but added that he’s “hosting a ton of friends for the Super Bowl here in Las Vegas. All is well!”

Back in May, the former Buffalo Bills star briefly glossed over the fact that he had undergone chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis in a separate video.

“[I] unfortunately caught cancer” in recent years, he told the camera, and “had to do the whole chemo thing,” Simpson said. He didn’t offer any additional details but clarified that he was “over the chemo stuff” now.

Never before a game! pic.twitter.com/F0rFCwWQ3n

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) May 30, 2023

It’s unclear whether the latest reports of prostate cancer are connected to the previous diagnosis he shared, but from the clip posted Friday, it appears he’s at least healthy enough to host a Super Bowl party at his Las Vegas home.

Simpson moved into a gated community in Sin City after serving nine years in a Nevada prison for armed robbery.

In 2007, he was caught leading a group of five men into a confrontation with several sports collectibles dealers in a Las Vegas casino. The football legend maintained that he had only aimed to take back personal mementoes and items which were previously stolen from him.

The incident came a little over a decade after Simpson was acquitted in what became known as “The Trial of the Century,” surrounding the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994.

The former Mets general manager was placed on MLB’s restricted list Friday after the completion of an investigation into improper use of the injured list. Eppler, who led the Mets’ baseball operations efforts during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, resigned from his position Oct. 5, a few days after the completion of the season and the hiring of president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Eppler was found to have “fabricated” injuries to place players on the IL in 2022 and 2023.

“Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations (DOI) has completed its investigation into allegations that former New York Mets General Manager Billy Eppler and other Mets employees violated MLB’s rules,” the league said in a statement. “The Mets organization and Mr. Eppler fully cooperated with MLB’s thorough review, which included interviews with over three dozen individuals, in addition to the review of relevant documents and electronic records.

“Having reviewed the results of the investigation, Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. announced today that Mr. Eppler has been placed on the Ineligible List beginning immediately for directing the following pattern of conduct in violation of MLB’s rules: improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper Injured List placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.”

The Mets will face no further discipline and no other staffers or players were named directly in the league’s report. Owner and CEO Steve Cohen was not a part of the investigation and the league determined that Eppler called the shots without ownership’s knowledge.

“MLB’s investigation concluded that the pattern of conduct was at Mr. Eppler’s sole direction and without any involvement of Club ownership or superiors,” the league said in a statement.

Oct. 6, 2023: The end of Billy Ball

MLB’s department of investigations opened an inquiry into Eppler’s use of the “phantom injured list” in October after a complaint from a staffer.

It’s common for teams to utilize the “phantom IL” to give struggling players a break. An injured list transaction allows teams to hold roster spots for players who might not have minor league options and would have to pass through waivers to receive a minor league assignment. Proper documentation to verify the injury or illness has to be obtained by a team doctor, but it’s easy to find something minor like tendinitis or inflammation in professional athletes.

By suspending Eppler, the league could be signaling a crackdown on these types of transactions. While Eppler is far from the only executive to utilize this tactic, he’s the only one being punished for it. That could change if the league decides to get serious about this issue.

Eppler will be eligible to return following the conclusion of the World Series unless the commissioner grants an application for an earlier reinstatement.

The Mets will not be elaborating on the investigation.

“The Mets have been informed of the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s investigation,” the team said in a statement. “With Billy Eppler’s resignation on October 5, 2023, and with David Stearns leading the Baseball Operations team, the Mets consider the matter closed and will have no further comment.”

Eppler, 48, previously worked as an assistant general manager with the Yankees before being hired as the Los Angeles Angels GM in 2015. He was fired following the conclusion of the 2020 season. The Mets signed him to a four-year contract Nov. 18, 2021.

KENNEBUNK, Maine  — As long as they still have each other, they’re still going to go to every Super Bowl.

That’s the sentiment shared by three friends who say they are the final fans who can claim membership in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club. And they’re back again for number 58 — Super Bowl 58 — this year.

The three fans, all in their 80s, are Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel, who splits time between Florida and Pennsylvania. The three are gathering this weekend in Las Vegas for the big game, and they’re hoping they can all make it to the sixtieth edition of the game two years from now.

The fans have sat together at the Super Bowl before, and they were still trying to make last-minute arrangements to do that for this year’s game this week. At the very least, they planned to get together for brunch on Friday, as always.

Eaton, 84, who runs a ground transportation company in Detroit, has been especially invested in this year’s football playoffs, as his beloved Detroit Lions won playoff games for the first time in more than three decades. The Lions fell just short of qualifying for their first Super Bowl, but Eaton said getting together with retirees Crisman, 87, and Henschel, 82, is the real draw of going to the big game year after year.

“Yeah, I’m a Lions fan,” Eaton said. “But in two years, I just hope I’ll be in good shape to be there again.”

The men have attended every game since the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the forerunner to the modern Super Bowl, took place in Los Angeles in 1967. This year’s game is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Crisman and Henschel first met at the 1983 Super Bowl, but they didn’t meet Eaton until the mid-2010s. The fans have said in the past that they might be getting ready to let the tradition go, but every year they make the decision to do it again.

They’re part of an ever-dwindling group of people who have attended every Super Bowl that has also included media members, football executives, groundskeepers and others. Norma Hunt, wife of late football pioneer Lamar Hunt, was the sole woman to attend every Super Bowl until she died in June.

The fans all said the one thing that could keep them from attending is if they or one of the other two was not healthy enough or mobile enough to do it. Health concerns have cropped up for all of them in recent years, but they all said they’re feeling well enough to go this year and planning on the next two.

“I think that might be the factor that would definitely tip it,” Crisman said. “I’m not looking to be the survivor. I just go for the fun, and the guys. We’ll see what this year brings and address it in December ’24.”

The three men have witnessed all of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history, but some of their most cherished memories of the game are a little more personal than David Tyree’s “helmet catch” in Super Bowl 42 or Scott Norwood’s missed field goal in Super Bowl 25. Crisman’s home is adorned with Super Bowl ephemera, right down to a collectible hat commemorating the first Bud Bowl, a promotion about beer that ran during Super Bowl 23 in 1989.

Eaton fondly remembers he got his tickets to the first Super Bowl from a friend from Michigan State University, Herb Adderley, who played for the Green Bay Packers. Henschel recalls being especially excited for Super Bowl 3 because New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, like himself, was from the Pittsburgh area.

Crisman hadn’t yet acquired tickets for this year’s game as of mid-January, when telecommunications giant Verizon surprised him with complementary passes for himself and his daughter, Susan Metevier. Getting to Las Vegas will be much easier than his trip to Super Bowl 2 in 1968, which involved a 24-hour train ride to Miami.

The three men reminisce fondly about the era when it was possible to get a ticket to the big game for $8. Henschel recalls getting a face value ticket to Super Bowl 3 for $12 on the day of the game. This year, the cheapest tickets available are more than $7,000.

Henschel, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, has a friendly rivalry with Crisman, a New England Patriots fan, as the two teams have met frequently in the playoffs over the years.

This year, the Patriots failed to contend, and the Steelers made an early playoff exit. But old traditions die hard, Henschel said.

“It’s funny because Don and I, he hates the Steelers and I hate the Patriots,” Henschel said. “Every time we see each other for the first time, we give each other the finger.”

It’ll happen again this year. And they hope at least a couple more times after that.

The Giants quarterback told the Daily News Friday on Super Bowl Radio Row that he has started running on an anti-gravity treadmill at the team’s facility as he rehabilitates his surgically repaired right ACL.

“My rehab is going well,” Jones, 26, said as he strolled. “I’m making progress. I’m three months into it, and I’ve started running on the anti-gravity treadmill. It’s going well.”

Jones said he has been working with head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes, director of rehabilitation Leigh Weiss and assistant athletic trainer Phil Buzzerio.

“It’s coming along well,” he said.

Jones has said before that he intends to be ready for training camp. GM Joe Schoen said at the Senior Bowl that “the expectation is for him to be the starter when he’s healthy going into camp.”

When Jones got hurt last season, the Giants started Tyrod Taylor. Then they put Tommy DeVito in when Taylor got hurt, and even played DeVito for two extra games when Taylor got healthy.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton told Jones on Friday, though, that the Giants actually tried to recruit Broncos quarterback Davis Webb back to play for them when Jones got hurt.

“When you got hurt this year, Davis got a call about, ‘Can you come back to play?’” Payton told Jones and Eli Manning on The Up And Adams Show. And I’m like, ‘Davis, you took this job, you’re coaching.’ And then there’s some rule in our league that if you sign a coaching contract for that year, you cannot play. Anyway, I thought I was gonna lose our quarterback coach to the Giants.”

Fast forward to 2024, and Jones faces pressure to perform in the second season of his four-year contract. The Giants can financially escape the deal after the season if they wish.

Schoen holds the No. 6 overall pick and two second-round picks in April’s NFL Draft and admitted the quarterback position is under consideration. He could sign a veteran behind Jones or draft a rookie to develop behind him as his successor or eventual replacement.

The GM also needs to improve the offensive line to give his quarterback the best chance to succeed while carrying a $47 million salary cap hit this coming season.

Jones has sustained two significant neck injuries during his career on top of the torn ACL, too. And he did not appear to be throwing the ball comfortably against the Raiders prior to hurting his knee. So there are lots of questions.

But it’s positive that his rehab has progressed to running, which puts him on track to be on the field to make a strong case.

His conclusion?

Leon Rose is cookin’.

Four hours ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline, the Knicks dealt four players (Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and Malachi Flynn) and two second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons for vaunted bench scorer Bojan Bogdanovic and former Knicks playmaker Alec Burks.

The Knicks needed the contracts of Fournier and Flynn for salary-matching reasons, but losing Grimes, a capable three-and-D wing in the third year of his rookie deal, and Arcidiacano, beloved among his Villanova cohort, including rotation mainstays Hart, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, hit home at Madison Square Garden.

Basketball, however, is a business — and Rose’s Knicks are in the business of winning.

He traded homegrown first-round picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley on New Year’s Day in the OG Anunoby trade with the Toronto Raptors, which also netted Precious Achiuwa.

Just like the Anunoby deal, Thursday’s trade was a no-brainer.

It’s the all-too familiar feeling of another home run for a Knicks front office with a steady, yet undeniable track record of improving the roster via a mid-season trade.

“Obviously, I hate to see my guy, Archy go,” said Hart. “Obviously, you hate to see anybody go. Obviously, that’s our guy. But nah, I think that was a really good trade in terms of what we needed.”

* * *

Breaking news: The private jet did not land in time.

Hart only wanted one thing for a battered Knicks roster sporting just eight players for Thursday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks: for the private jet — “the P.J.” — to make its way.

That is, for Burks and Bogdanovic — who had been acquired just hours before he spoke to media — to miraculously arrive at MSG in time for tipoff.

A pipe dream.

With Anunoby (right elbow surgery), Jalen Brunson (sprained right ankle), Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle surgery) all out due to injury, the Deadline-Day Knicks deployed just eight players against the Mavericks.

Two of those players (Jacob Toppin and Charlie Brown Jr.) are on two-way contracts, called up from the Westchester Knicks. The 38-year-old Taj Gibson logged 22 minutes as one of the remaining six available players.

Isaiah Hartenstein was healthy, too, until he left the game at halftime after aggravating an Achilles injury.

Hart braced himself for a heavy minutes load, but under these circumstances, the sheer thought of double-overtime sent him off the deep end.

“Oh, f—k. If they do that [double OT], y’all gonna start seeing me hacking, arguing calls,” said Hart. “I think we’ve got [NBA official] Zach Zarba. … Y’all might see my walk up to Zach; I might just slap Zach, get a quick tech and get out of here.

“Yeah, if we go to double-overtime, Zach, he got one coming.”

What’s coming off as an extreme course of action is, in reality, a cry for help. And thanks to Rose, help is on the way, though not in enough time to spare Hart’s legs on Thursday.

Hart is averaging 39.6 minutes across the six games both Randle and Anunoby have missed since the Jan. 27 matchup against the Miami Heat. And when Brunson couldn’t go on Thursday, Hart — after hyperextending his knee on Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies — played 42 minutes.

“I’s tired, boss. That’s how I’m feeling,” Hart said ahead of tipoff on Thursday. “But nah, I’m cool. … We gonna push the body today.”

This is where New York’s next-man-up ethos reaches an inflection point.

DiVincenzo and Achiuwa are averaging 40.5 and 40 minutes, respectively, since Randle and Anunoby went down. With Brunson out on Thursday, Miles McBride played 45 of a possible 48 minutes against the Mavericks.

The immediacy of the trade makes the move a win, now, for the win-now Knicks.

Not only are Burks and Bogdanovic able-bodied — something a large chunk of the Knick rotation cannot say — but they are scorers and play-makers who will infuse offensive production into a barren New York lineup.

“Leon and his staff, their job is to always look at what opportunities are out there, and does something make sense that can make our team better?” Thibodeau said pregame. “And if it does, then you take a good hard look at it. And sometimes, the price is too high and you don’t do it.

“This, it felt like it made sense. It made sense for Detroit, as well, so a good trade for both teams. And it fits what we need right now, but it also fits us going forward.”

* * *

Going forward? Now that’s a scary thought. Particularly if the Knicks can get healthy.

Basketball pundits are fawning over Rose’s course of mid-season action. Sure, Bogdanovic and Burks provide immediate relief for a depleted Knicks team.

Bigger picture, the Knicks addressed their biggest need in a world where they’re at 100% strength: bench depth.

Acquiring Anunoby super-charged the starting lineup by injecting a dominant defensive force who stabilized the Knick offense with three-point shooting and strong finishing at the rim.

Trading Quickley and Barrett, however, removed the two players who captained the second unit. The Knicks rank second-to-last behind only the Phoenix Suns in bench scoring since acquiring Anunoby on New Year’s Day.

In acquiring Bogdanovic and Burks, the Knicks now have instant offense off the bench when Randle, Anunoby and Brunson return to the starting lineup.

Bogdanovic and Burks have combined to average 32 points per game in their last season-and-a-half as teammates in Detroit.

Both are L.A.S.E.R.S. — or high-volume, high-efficiency three-point shooters — in a three-point heavy Thibodeau offense.

Both boast playoff pedigree, too, with Bogdanovic playing on Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz teams, and Burks combining to play 22 playoff games over the course of his career, including five with the Knicks in 2021.

Hart sees the road to a lighter minutes load. So does DiVincenzo.

“You can rely on them to play big minutes,” said Hart. “If I’m not playing well, and OG has to play 38, and Bojan’s gotta play 38, [if] I play 15, well, cool. We have the luxury to do that. And that’s what you want: being able to get into adverse situations and have the luxury of guys being able to step up, play big minutes and have other guys. If it’s not their night, they’re cool with sitting.”

“Proven scorers, proven vets and proven shooters,” added DiVincenzo. “Think it will help us with our depth. What gives us a unique lineup this year once we get them is any given night really you might have some play 30, you might have some guys play 16, 17 if somebody has it going.”

Suddenly, the Knicks — who are optimistic about having a fully healthy roster with a good number of regular-season games left before the playoffs — could have a starting five of Brunson-DiVincenzo-Anunoby-Randle-Hartenstein, then have McBride, Burks, Bogdanovic, Hart, Achiuwa and Robinson coming off the bench.

That doesn’t include Jericho Sims, who survived a hectic trade deadline and gives Thibodeau 12 players to choose from to fill his dedicated nine-man rotation.

“Yeah, I like the makeup of our team. A lot,” he said. “I like our young guys a lot: Jericho and Deuce. Those guys have added a lot to our team. Then if you look at how all it fits together, we added a lot of shooting, which is much needed.”

* * *

Hart spoke this into fruition. After all, history is on Rose’s side when it comes to mid-season trades.

The Knicks were 11-14 when they traded for Derrick Rose at the 2021 NBA trade deadline and finished that season 41-31.

They won nine straight after trading for Hart midway through last season, and the returns on the Anunoby deal are through the roof: The Knicks are 16-4 since the trade and own the second-best record in all of basketball since Jan. 1.

“I don’t know, I feel like we’re a pretty good post-trade team, if you know what I mean,” Hart joked when the Knicks won their first three games after the Anunoby deal. “Maybe we can make some more trades. No one in here. Maybe 2040 picks or something like that, keep it rolling until the trade deadline and we can’t do it anymore.”

The Knicks wanted to keep things rolling. They also wanted to roll into the offseason armed with enough capital to meet the high asking price a superstar suddenly available for trade might command.

Bogdanovic provides an influx of offense now, but he is also due a $19 million salary in the final year of his deal next season. The $19 million figure mirrors Fournier’s non-guaranteed salary cap hit for the 2024-25 season.

The difference, of course, is while Fournier is past his prime as an NBA player, Bogdanovic is a 20 point-per game scorer.

While he is exactly what the doctor ordered for an ailing Knicks team, New York can use Bogdanovic’s contract to match salary if a superstar-level player becomes available on the trade market this summer.

Also, the Knicks only surrendered second-round picks in both the Raptors and Pistons deals.

They own not only each of their own first-round picks through 2031, but also the Mavericks’ top-10 protected first in 2024, Milwaukee’s top-four protected first-rounder in 2025, and a future first-round pick each from both the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards.

In short, Rose found a way not only to maximize New York’s current pursuit of an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals — or beyond — but also to simultaneously keep the Knicks well positioned to acquire a star in a trade this summer.

Or as Hart simply put: “I think Leon and the front office was cookin’ today.”

Cookin’, indeed.

Kluber, 37, compiled a 116-77 record, a 3.44 ERA and 1,725 strikeouts in 1,641.2 innings across stints with Cleveland, Texas, the Yankees, Tampa Bay and Boston.

“Each chapter was filled with priceless experiences, phenomenal teammates, and the backing of devoted fans, whose steadfast support always moved me to be the very best I could every time I toed the rubber,” Kluber said in his announcement.

Kluber made his MLB debut in 2011 for Cleveland, where he spent his first nine MLB seasons. Armed with excellent movement and a put-away breaking ball, Kluber broke out in 2014 with an AL-best 18 wins, a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts in 235.2 innings en route to his first AL Cy Young.

That stellar season kicked off a remarkable run in which Kluber finished within the top nine of Cy Young voting; exceeded 200 innings; recorded a sub-3.50 ERA; and tallied at least 222 strikeouts five years in a row.

A three-time All-Star, Kluber won his second AL Cy Young in 2017 after leading the league with 18 wins, a 2.25 ERA, five complete games and three shutouts.

Injuries derailed the latter parts of Kluber’s career. After being traded to the Rangers before the 2020 campaign, Kluber — who went to high school in the Dallas area — pitched only one inning before a torn teres major muscle in his shoulder ended his season.

Kluber then signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Yankees for the 2021 season. He got off to a strong start, winning the 100th game of his career about a month into that season and throwing his first and only no-hitter against the Rangers in Arlington, less than three weeks later.

Kluber surrendered only one baserunner — on a third-inning walk — in what was the Yankees’ first no-hitter since David Cone’s 1999 perfect game.

Shoulder issues continued to plague Kluber, however, and limited him to 16 starts with the Yankees. He went 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 80 innings in 2021, then signed a one-year deal with the Rays for the 2022 season.

Kluber finished off his career with Boston last season, struggling to a 3-6 record and a 7.04 ERA over 15 games, including nine starts.

Known for his stoic demeanor and machine-like efficiency on the mound, Kluber earned the nickname “Klubot.”

“As I take my leave from the pitcher’s mound, my passion for baseball remains unwavering,” Kluber said. “I eagerly anticipate exploring opportunities to continue contributing to the sport in a different capacity. To all who have been involved with my baseball odyssey, thank you for crafting an indelible and unforgettable ride.”

Sam Darnold, Backup QB, 49ers — Darnold was taken by the Jets as the third overall pick in the 2018 draft. Dubbed “the next Joe Namath,” he played more like “the next Browning Nagle.” Darnold had a distinguished career at USC, with a 20-4 record. In just two seasons, he threw for 7,229 yards and a staggering 57 TDs. The Jets swapped No. 1 picks to move up with Indianapolis, surrendering three second-round picks in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, the Jets gave Darnold a four-year deal worth $30.25 million fully guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus. All this without throwing his first NFL pass. Darnold struggled through a dismal rookie year, finishing with a 4-9 record. He lasted just two more seasons with the Jets, saddled with a horrendous offensive line and poor offensive talent around him. He was shipped to Carolina in 2021 for second, fourth and sixth round picks. He lasted two years in Carolina, playing well for another bad team, with an 8-9 record with 16 TDs and 16 INTs. In March of 2023, Darnold went back to his California roots and signed with the 49ers.

If Darnold must step in for Purdy, the 49ers would still have a chance to win the Super Bowl. In his lone 2023 appearance, Darnold impressively threw for 189 yards and a TD in a loss to the L.A. Rams. Kyle Shanahan is smart enough to keep a tight leash on Darnold, favoring the running game and short, controlled passes. The talent around him with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey is far superior to the Chiefs’ offensive weapons.

Blaine Gabbert, Backup QB, Chiefs — Mahomes isn’t the only QB with a Super Bowl ring in the game this week. His backup has one too. Gabbert played his college ball at the University of Missouri. He was a 2011 first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars (10th overall). At age 22, Gabbert became the youngest QB in NFL history to start 14 games, but it was the beginning of a vagabond existence. He lasted just three seasons in Jacksonville, compiling a 5-22 record.

Gabbert bounced around the league from San Francisco to Arizona to Tennessee before joining Tampa Bay in 2019. He separated his shoulder and spent the year on IR, but the Bucs retained him for the 2020 season. It was a fortuitous move as Gabbert would only throw 16 passes serving as Tom Brady’s backup but did walk away with a Super Bowl ring. Gabbert spent two more seasons in Tampa, throwing just 19 passes. Then he traveled to Kansas City, signing a one-year deal. He started the last game of this season, a 13-12 victory over the Chargers, throwing for 154 yards and no TDs.

If Mahomes goes down, so does all hope for Kansas City. Gabbert’s lifetime 14-35 NFL record speaks for itself. He’s only completed 40 passes since 2018. In his two appearances with the Chiefs this year, he had three interceptions and no TDs on 35 pass attempts. His QB rating is a comical 47.

Elijah Mitchell, Backup RB, 49ers — “Louisiana Lightning” played his college ball at the University of Louisiana at Lafeyette in the Sun Belt Conference. He averaged over six yards per carry, scoring 46 total TDs in a little over three years for the Ragin’ Cajuns. His collegiate effort was rewarded with the 49ers drafting him in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Mitchell was outstanding as a rookie, breaking the 49ers single-season rookie rushing record with 963 yards.

His 2022 season was cut short with a sprained MCL in Week 1, followed by a torn MCL in Week 12. By then, the 49ers had acquired RB Christian McCaffrey.

Mitchell hasn’t played much this season, but of all the backups listed in this report, he is the best of the bunch. When featured, Mitchell had multiple games of over 100 yards. He took the 49ers deep into the playoffs in 2021, running for 149 yards and a TD over two games.

La’Mical Perine, Backup RB, Chiefs — Hot off his MVP 138-yard, three TD performance for the Florida Gators in the 2019 Orange Bowl, Perine was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He struggled with a high-ankle sprain and a bout with COVID-19, ending his disappointing rookie year with 232 yards and two TDs. He rarely played in 2021, appearing in only four games, and was cut at season’s end.

There were practice squad stints with the Eagles and Dolphins in 2022 before joining the Chiefs’ practice squad in January 2023. He finally made his K.C. debut against the Chargers in the meaningless season ender for the Chiefs. He played reasonably well, rushing for 76 yards and catching three balls for 33 yards.

Perine excelled on the big stage in the Orange Bowl, but he has very little professional experience. If Isiah Pacheco was injured in this game, La’Mical could possibly see a 60-40 split with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but I’m not predicting much success against the 49ers’ stout run defense.

Charlie Woerner, Backup TE, 49ers — Probably the least known name on this list, Woerner attended the University of Georgia where he was known as one of the best blocking tight ends in the nation. That would explain his miniscule receiving statistics of 34 catches for 376 yards and a TD in four years as a Bulldog. Woerner was a 2020 sixth round pick of the 49ers.

It would be a disaster if Kittle exits the Super Bowl. Charlie has 11 receptions for 120 yards and no TDs in his three seasons with the 49ers. There’s a reason he’s known as a “blocking tight end.” The only other TE on the San Fran roster is Brayden Willis, a 2023 seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma. He caught 75 balls at OU but has not yet had a professional catch. I doubt it will come in the Super Bowl.

Noah Gray, Backup TE, Chiefs — Gray was a fifth-round selection out of Duke. The 6-3, 240 pounder had 51 receptions for 392 yards and was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation. Gray had two non-descript years for K.C. in 2021-22, but he upped his game in 2023. He caught 28 passes for 305 yards and two TDs playing in Kelce’s shadow.

Gray is a capable TE who’s in his third year of the system and has played well. He and Kelce both average almost 11 yards per reception, are similar in size, and sport a scruffy beard. The biggest discrepancy between the TEs is the 24-year-old Gray got married last summer and the 34-year-old Kelce is still in the dating scene with some gorgeous blonde rock star.

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Look for Fantasy Billboard every week in the Daily News during the NFL season and a separate column at FantasyGuru.com.

The Dallas Cowboys are expected to hire Mike Zimmer — and not the outspoken former Jets coach Ryan — as their defensive coordinator, according to ESPN.

Ryan, a defensive maven who last coached in 2016, recently interviewed for the job.

The anticipated hiring marks a homecoming for the 67-year-old Zimmer, who was part of the Cowboys’ defensive staff from 1994-06, including as the coordinator from 2000-06.

Zimmer also served stints as defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals before becoming head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, with whom he went 72-56-1 from 2014-21.

He replaces Dan Quinn, who led the Cowboys to top-seven finishes in scoring defense in each of his three seasons as coordinator. The NFC East-rival Washington Commanders hired Quinn as their head coach last week.

Zimmer takes over a talented Dallas defense led by star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence that is coming off a brutal performance in last month’s 48-32 loss to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to keep head coach Mike McCarthy despite that embarrassing home defeat in a game that was largely decided by halftime.

Ryan, 61, spent six years as Jets head coach from 2009-14, advancing to the AFC Championship Game in both of his first two seasons. He failed to post a winning record in any of his final four seasons with Gang Green, however, and his tenure bottomed out with a 4-12 season in 2014 that led to his firing.

Ryan’s defenses finished top 10 in terms of yards allowed in all but three of his 12 seasons as either the head coach of the Jets or Buffalo Bills or as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.

He’s spent the past seven years as an analyst for ESPN, where was critical of McCarthy multiple times, including when the Cowboys hired him after he was fired by the Packers.

“It’s not a sexy hire by any stretch to me because you didn’t win,” Ryan said on “First Take” in 2019. “You were like the rest of us when you never had Aaron Rodgers.”

Despite his extensive NFL absence, Ryan’s name continues to come up on the coaching rumor mill. He was considered a possible in-season replacement for Denver Broncos coordinator Vance Joseph after his defense surrendered a jaw-dropping 70 points in a blowout loss to Miami in Week 3 last fall. Joseph, however, remains as Denver’s DC as part of Sean Payton’s coaching staff.

Ryan’s twin brother, Rob Ryan, served as Cowboys defensive coordinator from 2011-12.