Deion Sanders highlights HBCU prospects ahead of NFL draft
Deion Sanders did his part to make sure NFL teams don’t overlook players from historically Black colleges in this week’s draft. The Jackson State coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer released his “Prime Prospects” on Monday, featuring 16 players from 12 HBCUs. Last year, not one HBCU player was...
Dearth of premier passers in draft had QB carousel spinning
A dearth of premier passers in the upcoming NFL draft meant the quarterback carousel spun faster than ever this spring. Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock and Deshaun Watson all changed teams in 2022. Franchises still searching for a prized quarterback won’t find much...
Ho, ho, hut: NFL will play 3 games on Christmas for 1st time
The NFL will capitalize on Christmas Day falling on a Sunday. The league will have three games Dec. 25 for the first time: two in the afternoon on CBS and Fox, followed by a prime-time contest on NBC. NFL vice president of broadcasting Mike North revealed the tripleheader on a...
Pro Football Hall of Fames expands opportunities for seniorsVideo
CANTON, Ohio — Senior candidates will have more opportunities to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next three years. The hall’s Board of Trustees on Thursday approved several changes to the bylaws governing the selection of Hall of Fame enshrinees. In the past, only one...
Former Raiders QB Daryle Lamonica dies at age 80
Daryle Lamonica, the deep-throwing quarterback who won an AFL Player of the Year award and led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl appearance, has died. He was 80. The Fresno County Sherriff’s said Lamonica passed away at his Fresno home on Thursday morning. The death is considered to be...
Report: 49ers All-Pro WR Deebo Samuel requests trade
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel told ESPN on Wednesday that he has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers as the two sides have been unable to negotiate a long-term deal for one of the league’s top playmakers. Samuel is entering the final year of the...
Most teams welcomed combine’s comeback but some snubbed it
INDIANAPOLIS — Comparison shopping and face-to-face contact with college prospects returned to the NFL this year after the 2021 scouting combine was scuttled by the pandemic. Talent evaluators welcomed back college pro days and private workouts even as the covid-19 broadside entered its third year. The core of the league’s...
Mike Tirico, Chris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark to do ‘Sunday Night Football’
NEW YORK — NBC Sports revealed its new “Sunday Night Football” announcing team with analyst Cris Collinsworth returning and being joined by Mike Tirico in the booth and Melissa Stark on the sidelines. The network said the crew will work for the first time at the Hall of Fame game...
Deshaun Watson reports to Browns for 1st offseason program
CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson walked through snow on the way to his first day of work with the Cleveland Browns. Baker Mayfield was nowhere in sight. Watson reported to Cleveland’s offseason program Tuesday to restart his career with the Browns, who mortgaged their short-term future by acquiring the controversial quarterback...
Browns speak to NFL on ‘tanking’ claims made by former coachVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have spoken to an NFL investigator looking into claims by former coach Hue Jackson, who said the team intentionally lost games — tanked — in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Jackson, now coaching at Grambling State, was fired by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam...
Commanders send letter to FTC denying financial improprietyVideo
WASHINGTON — The NFL’s Washington Commanders denied several allegations of financial impropriety in a letter sent Monday to the U.S Federal Trade Commission. The 19-page letter including testimony, emails and other documents came as a response to the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee asking the FTC to look into...
AP source: Browns, CB Ward agree on $100M contract extensionVideo
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward has agreed to a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension with the team, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Monday. Ward’s deal includes $71.25 million guaranteed, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity...
Malik Willis, Matt Corral only QBs attending NFL draftVideo
NEW YORK — Quarterbacks Malik Willis and Matt Corral are among 21 prospects who will attend the NFL draft in Las Vegas this month. Ohio State wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will be there along with two more wideouts. Alabama is also sending two players: wide receiver Jameson...
WR A.J. Green returns to Cardinals on 1-year dealVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — Receiver A.J. Green is coming back to the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal. The seven-time Pro Bowler played in 16 games last season, catching 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns. The 33-year-old is expected to be the team’s No. 2 option next to three-time...
Tom Clements wants to help Aaron Rodgers reach another Super BowlVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The biggest offseason clue forecasting Aaron Rodgers’ eventual decision to stay in Green Bay came when Tom Clements ended his retirement to begin a second stint as the Packers quarterback coach. Clements also held that position when Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl title...
Quarterback Derek Carr gets 3-year extension from Raiders
HENDERSON, Nev. — Through a season of turmoil, Derek Carr performed at his best. So the Las Vegas Raiders have given the veteran quarterback a three-year contract extension. The extension is worth $121.5 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press, speaking Wednesday on condition of...
Mayfield: Browns ‘disrespected,’ deceived him about futureVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield feels the Cleveland Browns deceived him about their offseason plans, which resulted in them trading for Deshaun Watson. Speaking on a podcast, Mayfield, whose tumultuous four-year run as Cleveland’s quarterback essentially ended when the team acquired Watson in a stunning deal with the Houston Texans last...
Congress tells FTC that Commanders may have broken financial lawsVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday saying it found evidence the NFL’s Washington Commanders engaged in potentially unlawful financial conduct for more than a decade by withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams and refundable deposits from fans. In the...
Madden Monday: There is no Penguins goalie debate, and Evgeni Malkin should not be suspended
Lately, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been struggling to string together wins. With only three victories in their last 10 games, two of the wins have been with Casey DeSmith in net. Tristan Jarry, meanwhile, has lost five starts in a row and six of seven, and he hasn’t beaten a...
Browns agree to deal with former Steelers QB Josh DobbsVideo
CLEVELAND — The Browns added another quarterback as they try to figure out what to do with Baker Mayfield. Cleveland agreed to a one-year contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers backup QB Josh Dobbs on Friday, a deal first tweeted by his agent Mike McCartney and confirmed by a person familiar...
Former Texans, Packers OLB Whitney Mercilus retiring
Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus said he’s retiring, ending a 10-year career in which he made 58 sacks. Mercilus, 31, announced his decision Wednesday via Instagram. The 2012 first-round draft pick from Illinois spent nearly his entire career with the Houston Texans before playing four regular-season games and one playoff contest...
Attorneys General warn NFL to improve treatment of women
NEW YORK — The attorneys general of six states have written to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , expressing concern over the league’s treatment of female employees and admonishing him for a lack of improvement to the league’s workplace culture. Without improvement, the attorneys general warned of potential legal action. The...
Bills’ Stefon Diggs agrees to 4-year contract extension
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs will never have to feel undervalued again. The fifth-round draft pick who blossomed into one of the NFL’s top playmakers after being traded by Minnesota to Buffalo two years ago agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $96 million, a person...
Duquesne football player Roman Macek gets offer to pursue pro wrestling dream at WWE performance center
For Duquesne football player Roman Macek, he figured it was worth a try. What’s the worst that could happen? They laugh him out of Texas? He’d only be gone for a few days. His coaches and teammates were behind him. The flight would land early enough Saturday that he could...
Court: Browns QB Deshaun Watson must address history with therapists
HOUSTON — Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson must say whether he had sex with 18 massage therapists who supported him last year following criminal complaints, a judge in Texas ruled Tuesday. USA Today reported that Watson has 30 days to comply. He previously would not address his past with the...
