Sam Darnold to make $18.9 million after Panthers pick up option
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers upped their commitment to Sam Darnold on Friday, picking up the fifth-year option on the quarterback’s rookie contract. He will now make $18.9 million for the 2022 season. Darnold’s contract would have expired after the 2021 season, and he would have become an unrestricted...
Jim Litke: Betting millions on QBs who can turn clubs around on a dime
Last season wasn’t just the strangest in the 100 years of pro football, it was also the highest-scoring by almost any measure — average score, total points and especially passing touchdowns. And because the NFL is a copycat league, you didn’t have to be a general manager, scout or even...
Packers stay committed to Aaron Rodgers amid report QB wants outVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst reiterated Thursday that the team remains committed to quarterback Aaron Rodgers amid a report the reigning MVP doesn’t want to return to Green Bay. “As we’ve stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond,” Gutekunst...
As expected, QBs take top 3 spots as NFL Draft gets underway amid some normalcyVideo
No suspense at the top of this NFL draft: Quarterback, quarterback and, yep, quarterback. With fans in attendance, prospects on hand and commissioner Roger Goodell dispensing greetings to players being selected Thursday night, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence went to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get things started. Next was BYU’s Zach Wilson...
NFL Draft: Players selected in the first round
1. Jacksonville Jaguars Trevor Lawrence, QB, 6-foot-6, 213 pounds, Clemson Breakdown: Lawrence has been the presumptive No. 1 pick in this draft since his freshman season. Prototypical size, top-notch speed and athleticism and rare arm talent. Want to pick some nits? His delivery is a little long and deep ball...
Broncos acquire quarterback Bridgewater from Panthers
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Drew Lock didn’t have to wait around for the NFL Draft to get the serious competition for his starting job new general manager George Paton has been promising for months. Paton traded a sixth-round pick in this weekend’s draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for veteran...
NFL seeks return to normalcy with draft on Lake Erie shores
Return To Normalcy! That’s not exactly the slogan for the NFL draft being staged Thursday through Saturday in Cleveland. It’s more at the top of the league’s wish list as it allows some prospects and fans to attend the festivities — yes, there are those going on by the shores...
Browns owners finally in good spot after years of misery
CLEVELAND — When fans tune in to watch this week’s NFL draft, they’ll see picturesque shots of Lake Erie, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a city climbing back after a rugged year. Stifled by the pandemic, Cleveland’s getting on its feet. The Browns are already standing. Last...
Hello, Cleveland: NFL takes ‘blended’ draft back on road
CLEVELAND — All those boos aimed at Commissioner Roger Goodell that have become an NFL draft tradition will be slightly muted this year. At least they’ll be heard. After going all virtual in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the three-day draft, which has grown into one of America’s biggest,...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield on recent UFO sighting: ‘I believe’
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield’s offseason has included running, lifting, getting a guaranteed $18 million and a celestial close encounter he won’t forget. Mayfield said he saw a UFO. Nothing has changed his mind. “I’m a firm believer in UFOs and Sasquatch,” Mayfield said with a smile Monday on a Zoom...
Buccaneers exercise 5-year option on DT Vita Vea
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers exercised the fifth-year option on the contract defensive tackle Vita Vea signed as the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft. The 6-foot-4, 347-pound tackle has started 29 of 34 regular-season games he’s played with the Bucs, compiling 7½ sacks and 19 quarterback...
Cowboys’ Sean Lee retires after 11 seasons
A football career defined by hundreds of tackles but also interrupted by several serious injuries came to an end Monday when Upper St. Clair native Sean Lee retired from the NFL after 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Lee announced his decision via a letter posted to the team’s website....
Former Raiders defensive back Mike Davis dies at age 65
HENDERSON, Nev. — Mike Davis, the former Raiders defensive back who made one of the most memorable interceptions in team history, has died. He was 65. The Raiders announced Davis’ death Sunday. The team gave no details on the cause of death. The former Colorado star was a second-round pick...
The famous and the flops: best and worst NFL 1st-round picks
The Associated Press looks at the best and worst first-round draft picks for each NFL team. The players were chosen by AP sports writers who regularly cover the 32 teams. AFC Baltimore Ravens Best: T Jonathan Ogden, UCLA, 1996 Selected with the team’s first-ever pick after the move from Cleveland,...
Browns enter draft with Super Bowl expectations, needs on ‘D’
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are hosting the NFL Draft this year. Usually, they’re headlining it. After finally ending their nearly two-decades-old postseason drought last season, winning their first playoff game since 1994 — over the dreaded archrival Pittsburgh Steelers — and establishing themselves as one of the NFL’s rising...
Ravens look to boost passing attack through NFL DraftVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta doesn’t appreciate the criticism surrounding the team’s wide receivers. Baltimore ranked last in the NFL averaging 171.2 yards passing per game and had the fewest pass attempts with 406 last season. That’s partly because the running game was so proficient behind...
Chiefs acquire Ravens star OT Orlando Brown for draft picksVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just about everyone knew the Kansas City Chiefs were going to address their offensive line through the NFL Draft. Nobody quite expected them to do it a week before it even started. The Chiefs plugged the biggest hole remaining on their AFC champion roster Friday when...
Browns exercise QB Baker Mayfield’s 5th-year option
CLEVELAND — The Browns exercised the fifth-year option on quarterback Baker Mayfield’s rookie contract on Friday, an expected move after his strong 2020 season. The team did the same with top cornerback Denzel Ward’s contract. Mayfield had 30 touchdown passes last season and led the Browns to their first playoff...
Steelers cornerback Justin Layne charged with traffic, firearm violations in Ohio
Police in Ohio arrested Steelers cornerback Justin Layne on Friday morning for alleged traffic and firearms violations, court records show. Ohio court records show Layne, 23, was charged Friday by Willoughby police with driving with a suspended license, speeding, and transporting a loaded firearm, which is a fourth-degree felony. Records...
FCS draft prospects generally opted not to play this spring
There’s a common thread linking most of the Football Championship Subdivision players who expect to hear their name called in the NFL draft. They didn’t participate in their schools’ pandemic-delayed spring season. “Ultimately, it just comes down to athletes taking care of their bodies,” North Dakota State offensive tackle Dillon...
Rich Eisen didn’t let NFL Combine cancellation stop his ‘Run Rich Run’ movement
LOS ANGELES — Rich Eisen had wingtips, but clearly no wings. The NFL Network host’s first 40-yard dash came during a lull at the 2005 scouting combine, in the old RCA Dome in Indianapolis, and on a lark. “Terrell Davis was sitting next to me, part of our crew,” Eisen...
Canceled NFL Combine a bummer, but invite still a golden ticketVideo
Kansas State tight end Briley Moore, a graduate transfer from Northern Iowa, frantically scrolled through his waterproof phone. “It was a dream of mine since I was a little kid to go to the combine,” Moore said. “So once I had seen a couple on Twitter got the combine invite,...
Battery arrest warrant issued for Seahawks’ Aldon Smith
CHALMETTE, La. — A sheriff’s office in Louisiana has issued an arrest warrant for Seattle Seahawks defensive end Aldon Smith. St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies responding to a call for medical assistance in Meraux on Saturday evening found a man who said he had been assaulted by an acquaintance outside...
Alex Smith retires after comeback from gruesome leg injury
Alex Smith retired Monday after making an improbable comeback from a gruesome broken leg, saying he’s ready to leave the NFL but believing he’s still able to play quarterback. Smith made the announcement on Instagram a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday, hoping to enjoy more time with his...
Tom Brady expects to be ready for minicamp after knee surgery
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady is recovering from offseason knee surgery and expects to be ready for June minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speaking at a fundraiser for Bucs coach Bruce Arians’ foundation, the 43-year-old quarterback joked that he didn’t know “if I can go this week.” He then...
