Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo says goodbye to 49ers fansVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before Jimmy Garoppolo finished his 17-minute season-ending news conference, he wanted to deliver a message to the San Francisco 49ers fans who supported him the past five seasons. “It’s been crazy, man. Just all the comebacks at Levi’s, comebacks on the road, ups and downs. It’s...
Jim Litke: Tom Brady’s goodbye leaves (almost) everyone smilingVideo
The smart ones get out while people are still lining up to see them play. Tom Brady was even smarter than that. He was so good for so long that it made the toughest decision of his own career easy for everybody else. Sure, it could have gone smoother. As...
Buccaneers exploring options for successor to Tom BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Long before Tom Brady called its quits, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began contemplating a future without the seven-time Super Bowl winner. Brady announced his retirement Tuesday, ending an unparalleled career that began with a two-decade stint with the New England Patriots followed by two seasons with the...
Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sues NFL, alleging racist hiringVideo
NEW YORK — Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three of its teams Tuesday, saying racist hiring practices by the league have left it racially segregated and managed like a plantation. The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league,...
It’s official: Tom Brady has retired after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady walked away from the NFL on his own terms, still at the top of his game. Brady, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the greatest champions in professional sports, officially retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records...
Coach John Harbaugh confident Ravens will bounce back next seasonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh has begun the process to make Baltimore a contender again after a frustrating season that ended with six straight defeats. “I’m pretty fired up, excited, ready to go,” Harbaugh said Monday during his first news conference since the season ended. “You think...
Tom Brady says he still is evaluating his future plans
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady says he’s still evaluating his future and the seven-time Super Bowl champion isn’t ready to make a decision about retirement. “I’m just still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said Monday night on his SiriusXM podcast. “Sometimes it takes...
Bengals never waver en route to stunning Super Bowl seasonVideo
CINCINNATI — When the Cincinnati Bengals went down 21-3 early in the second quarter of Sunday’s AFC championship game, a third straight Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs seemed inevitable. The Bengals weren’t feeling it, though. They’d been coming from behind and winning close games all season. What transpired...
On to Super Bowl: Rams to host Bengals
Two years ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were the NFL’s worst team. Now they’re headed to the Super Bowl to play the Los Angeles Rams — in the Rams’ home stadium. Matching the biggest comeback in an AFC championship game, the Bengals rallied from an 18-point hole to stun Kansas City,...
Madden Monday: Maybe Patrick Mahomes is only a 1-win Super Bowl quarterback
One word to best describe the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game is “arrogance.” To blow off a sure field goal in hopes of scoring a touchdown with just five seconds to go at the end of the first half was pure arrogance....
Rams to play Super Bowl in home stadium after big 4th quarter vs. 49ersVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Travin Howard made a game-sealing interception with 1 minute, 9 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a spot in the Super Bowl at their home stadium next month with a thrilling 20-17 victory over...
While NFL plays title games, world waits on Tom Brady retirement decisionVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — While the NFL conference championship games went on without Tom Brady for only the second time in 11 years, the world waits for the greatest quarterback of all time to make his future plans official. An announcement is expected soon and a person close to Brady told...
Bengals erase 18-point deficit, advance to Super Bowl after win in Kansas CityVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Evan McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 9 minutes, 22 seconds left in overtime after Joe Burrow kept his cool while leading a furious second-half comeback to get the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years with a...
Chicago Bears hire Steel Valley grad Luke Getsy as offensive coordinatorVideo
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator Sunday, raiding the staff of rival Green Bay to find the assistant they feel is best suited to install a successful scheme for Justin Fields. Getsy, a Steel Valley graduate and former Pitt quarterback, spent the past...
Bengals alums reflect on 1988 ‘shuffle’ to Super Bowl
CINCINNATI — C.J. Uzomah caught a touchdown pass in the Bengals’ wild-card playoff win and broke into the “Ickey Shuffle,” an end-zone celebration dance so famous there’s a whole Wikipedia page devoted to it. Uzomah was paying homage to Ickey Woods, who starred as a rookie running back for the...
Vikings reportedly speak with Jim Harbaugh about head coach vacancyVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Harbaugh might be taking a step toward returning to the NFL. Harbaugh and the Minnesota Vikings had exploratory conversations about the team’s coaching vacancy Saturday, a person with knowledge of the process told the Associated Press. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team...
49ers-Rams rivalry leads to NFC title game matchup
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay arrived in California five years ago, a pair of hot-shot young coaches with a shared history and similar offenses taking over struggling franchises. Shanahan took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl his third season, and he has them a...
Tom Brady’s career achievements
It’s been an incredible career for quarterback Tom Brady, there’s certainly no denying that. Here are some highlights and stats from one of the longest and most productive NFL careers of all time. Super Bowl appearances 10: Super Bowl 36, Super Bowl 38, Super Bowl 39, Super Bowl 42, Super...
AP sources: Despite reports, Tom Brady hasn’t made up mind
TAMPA, Fla. — Only Tom Brady could turn a retirement decision into must-see drama. Despite reports that he is retiring, Brady has told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he hasn’t made up his mind, two people familiar with the details told The Associated Press. It’s unknown when he’ll make an announcement,...
Rams’ Aaron Donald: ‘Only thing I am lacking is being a champion.’
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald is firmly in conversations about the top pass rushers in NFL history. The Los Angeles Rams’ superstar defensive tackle knows that he is on another list that he would like to remove himself from — great players who haven’t won a championship. As the Rams...
Nathaniel Hackett brings Broncos pizzazz, maybe Aaron Rodgers?
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — George Paton sees Nathaniel Hackett as the booster shot the Denver Broncos desperately needed. Through nearly 20 hours of interviews in Green Bay and Denver and on Zoom, Paton said it became clear Hackett “was the right leader for the Denver Broncos and really the perfect choice...
Giants hire Bills O coordinator Brian Daboll as head coach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their head coach Friday. Daboll, 46, replaces Joe Judge, who was fired two days after the Giants finished a 4-13 season, their fifth straight double-digit losing season. Daboll spent the previous four seasons as...
Young, hungry Bengals off to Kansas City to face grizzled Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have been in this position before. Walking across the cold Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, dressing in their revamped locker room, strolling through the narrow tunnel and spilling onto the field for the AFC title game. In fact, the Chiefs have done it...
Star-studded LA Rams host surging 49ers in NFC title game
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Aaron Donald has been around long enough to know he might not get this chance again. The same goes for everybody in the Los Angeles Rams’ constellation of stars around him. Late in his eighth NFL season as the best defensive lineman of his generation, Donald’s career...
Former Penn State kicker Robbie Gould shining in ‘Goulden’ years with 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on Robbie Gould three years ago, the kicker had a decision to make. He could re-sign or hang up his cleats after a long, successful career and head back home to the Chicago area to be with...
