NFL approves emergency 3rd QB after 49ers’ injury woes in NFC title game
EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners approved a rule change Monday that allows teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game, a decision that stems from San Francisco’s depth-chart challenge in the NFC championship game. The bylaw initially was proposed...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Jim Brown remembered as best football player ever
Few sports have a player who unequivocally can be declared the game’s best ever. Hockey produces a debate between Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. With basketball it’s LeBron James and Michael Jordan. In baseball, options are plentiful: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, etc....
All-time NFL great running back, social activist Jim Brown dead at 87
CLEVELAND — Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s, has died. He was 87. A spokeswoman for Brown’s family said he passed...
Damar Hamlin honored with PFWA Halas Award for overcoming adversityVideo
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is working on his return to the field after having gone into cardiac arrest during a game in January, was selected as the winner of the 2023 George Halas Award. The Professional Football Writers of America on Monday announced the 55th winner of the...
Peacock will exclusively carry NFL playoff game in a first for streaming service
The NFL is taking another big step into streaming by putting one of its playoff games exclusively on a digital platform for the first time. The league and NBCUniversal announced Monday that the Saturday night game on Wild Card weekend will be on Peacock. The Peacock exclusive game on Jan....
QB Matt Ryan joins CBS as analyst, says he’s not retiring as playerVideo
ATLANTA — Matt Ryan has joined CBS as an analyst, though he’s not giving up on landing with another team as a quarterback. CBS announced Monday that Ryan, a four-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 NFL MVP with the Atlanta Falcons, will serve as a studio and game analyst across...
Browns agree to acquire Pro Bowl defensive end Za’Darius Smith from Vikings
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns’ defensive line has gone from disappointing to perhaps dominant. Cleveland, which has spent the offseason upgrading a unit that underperformed last season, agreed Friday night to acquire three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the deal told...
NFL season kicks off with Super Bowl champion Chiefs hosting LionsVideo
Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will kick off the NFL season against the upstart Detroit Lions in a matchup of high-powered offenses and will host Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch on “Monday Night Football” in Week 11. Aaron Rodgers...
Favre ends lawsuit after sportscaster Pat McAfee apologizes over ‘stealing from poor’ remarkVideo
JACKSON, Miss. — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre is ending a lawsuit against sportscaster Pat McAfee after McAfee publicly apologized Thursday for his previous on-air statements that Favre had been ” stealing from poor people in Mississippi” in a welfare misspending case. Favre and McAfee both announced the settlement. McAfee,...
With Jackson, WR additions, Monken has high hopes for RavensVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Todd Monken took a leap of faith when he left Georgia to become the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. At that point, it wasn’t clear if Lamar Jackson would still be the quarterback. “I was imagining that, planning on him being here,” Monken said Wednesday....
Ex-Raider Henry Ruggs pleads guilty to driving drunk, causing fatal crash
LAS VEGAS — Ex-Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving his sports car drunk at speeds up to 156 mph on a city street before causing a fiery crash that killed a woman and her dog. “Guilty,” said the former first-round NFL draft pick, 24, who...
Jaguars will play twice in London, 2 Germany games set
Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the first NFL team to play two international games in the same season when they spend back-to-back weeks in London this year. The Jaguars will “host” the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 1 and “visit” the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham...
Colts owner Jim Irsay warns NFL teams about tampering with Andrew LuckVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts want other NFL teams to know they consider contacting former quarterback Andrew Luck or his representatives to be tampering. Team owner Jim Irsay made it clear in a Twitter post late Sunday night after a weekend report from ESPN that the Washington Commanders attempted to...
Bills’ Damar Hamlin will put $9.1M in donations into his charityVideo
NEW YORK — Buffalo Bills safety and former Pitt and Central Catholic star Damar Hamlin will use the $10 million given to a GoFundMe campaign by well-wishers after his on-field collapse to fund his own nonprofit, the Chasing M’s Foundation. The decision, first shared with the Associated Press Monday, begins...
Lamar Jackson, Ravens excited to move on after new contract
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After an unusually long contract saga between him and the Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson was ready to move forward. That much seemed clear after the star quarterback fielded questions for the first time since agreeing to a five-year, $260 million deal. “I absolutely wanted to get...
New York, California probing workplace discrimination at NFL
NEW YORK — The attorneys general of New York and California announced Thursday that they are investigating allegations of workplace discrimination at the NFL, citing lawsuits filed by employees that describe sex, racial and age bias, sexual harassment, and a hostile work environment. Attorneys General Letitia James, of New York,...
Aaron Rodgers bonding with Jets teammates in Big Apple spotlightVideo
Aaron Rodgers was sitting alone in the dark two months ago, pondering his future while many speculated about his next move. Now, the New York Jets quarterback is the toast of his new town, bonding with the Big Apple and his excited teammates. “That’s a legend right there. That’s a...
Quarterbacks come off board at record rate in NFL Draft
The Brock Purdy impact was in full effect in this year’s NFL Draft. A year after the San Francisco 49ers found their starting quarterback with the final pick of the draft, teams were far more aggressive when it came to drafting quarterbacks in the later rounds. Three quarterbacks went in...
Chiefs re-sign RB Jerick McKinnon, decline 5th year on Clyde Edwards-HelaireVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs are re-signing Jerick McKinnon and declined the fifth-year option on fellow running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on Tuesday, solidifying their backfield behind incumbent Isiah Pacheco heading into offseason workouts. McKinnon, who turns 31 this week, ran 72 times for 291 yards and a touchdown but...
Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster already feeling at home with PatriotsVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — JuJu Smith-Schuster’s first few weeks with the New England Patriots have made him feel as if he’s back in college. Every day has been a new learning experience. He’s entering the second phase of the team’s offseason conditioning program, and aside from getting his body ready for...
Ex-Raiders WR Henry Ruggs taking plea deal, prison in fatal DUI crashVideo
LAS VEGAS — Ex-Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs told a judge Tuesday he will admit that he drove drunk at speeds up to 156 mph, causing a fiery crash that killed a woman. His plea deal is expected to send the 24-year-old former first-round NFL draft pick to state...
AP source: Packers extend QB Jordan Love’s deal through 2024
The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Jordan Love have agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension that makes his deal run through 2024, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the extension hasn’t been announced....
Comcast pulls NFL Network after carriage agreement expires
NEW YORK — Comcast subscribers aren’t able to view NFL Network after the cable company pulled the channel when its carriage agreement expired. The move comes two days after the conclusion of the NFL draft. Both sides still have time to reach an agreement before training camps start throughout the...
AP Report Cards: Texans, Eagles get highest NFL draft grades
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Houston Texans got two of the best players in the NFL draft in the first three picks. The Philadelphia Eagles added three more defensive standouts from Georgia. While it takes two or three years to judge whether players panned out, it’s easy to identify the...
Williams, Harrison, Maye are top prospects in 2024 NFL draft
The 2024 NFL draft class could quickly transform losers into winners. With a full season of college football still to be played, two future franchise quarterbacks are already being penciled into the top of draft boards: Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of Southern California and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Conventional...
