49ers to sign tackle Trent Williams to record 6-year contract, add center Alex MackVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers early Wednesday morning made big news along the offensive line, making a pair of notable signings. First, they agreed to terms on a record-setting contract with free agent Trent Williams, who will sign a six-year deal worth up $138.06 million, making him far and...
AP source: Bills agree to sign ex-Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to sign veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders, a person with direct knowledge of the move confirmed with the The Associated Press on Wednesday. The agreement is pending Sanders, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2010-13, passing a physical, the person...
NFL teams spend big bucks on 2nd day of ‘legal tampering’Video
For people wondering where is all the free-agent quarterback movement as the NFL’s “legal tampering” period enters its second day, well, calm down. The busy spenders at the position thus far have been two teams keeping their supposed guy: Cam Newton in New England and Jameis Winston in New Orleans....
Patriots continue spending, add tight end Hunter HenryVideo
After signing one of the top tight ends Monday, the Patriots didn’t stop making big splashes in free agency Tuesday, nor did they stop adding tight ends. According to ESPN, the Patriots are signing Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal with $25 million in guaranteed money. Henry was...
AP source: Browns to sign DE McKinley to help GarrettVideo
CLEVELAND — Looking to bolster their pass rush and complement All-Pro Myles Garrett, the Cleveland Browns plan to sign free agent defensive end Takkarist McKinley, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Tuesday. McKinley, who was a first-round pick by Atlanta in 2017, will sign a...
Source: Browns agree to add free agent safety John Johnson
CLEVELAND — Weakened by injuries and lacking experienced depth, the Cleveland Browns’ secondary was a major problem throughout last season. John Johnson III should help fix it. A dependable playmaker for the Los Angeles Rams, Johnson agreed Monday to sign a three-year, $33.75 million free agent contract with Cleveland, a...
Rob Gronkowski agrees to stay with Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feel good about their chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions and aren’t wasting time doing whatever’s necessary to retain key components of their roster to help Tom Brady pursue an eighth NFL title. Linebacker Shaquil Barrett and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who...
Drew Brees joins NBC Sports after retiring from NFL
NEW YORK — Drew Brees is headed from the Superdome to the Golden Dome. The quarterback great joined NBC Sports on Monday, a day after announcing his retirement from the NFL. He will serve as an analyst for Notre Dame games as well as work from the studio during “Football...
Record-setting Saints QB Drew Brees announces retirement at 42Video
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the NFL’s leader in career completions and yards passing, decided to retire after 20 NFL seasons, including his last 15 with New Orleans. “Til the very end I exhausted myself to give everything to the Saints organization, my team and the...
Aaron Jones staying with Packers on 4-year, $48 million dealVideo
Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and won’t be exploring free agency. Drew Rosenhaus, Jones’ agent, confirmed his client had agreed on a four-year deal worth $48 million that includes a $13 million signing bonus. “We anticipated bigger offers in...
Nobody comes for free in NFL free agency that begins MondayVideo
The term in use these days is “legal tampering.” Doesn’t seem sensible, and some might call it the “cheating period” instead. Regardless, on Monday, two days before the NFL’s 2021 business year begins, the 32 teams and agents for the players will be making deals. Lots of deals, even if...
Tom Brady signs extension, frees salary cap space for Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that provides the Super Bowl champions with much-needed salary cap relief and will help the seven-time NFL champion reach a goal of playing until he’s at least 45. Brady posted a picture of himself...
Patriots completing 1-year deal to re-sign Cam Newton
BOSTON — The New England Patriots are completing an agreement to re-sign free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The one-year deal is worth close to $14 million, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because new signings can’t be...
Texans’ Culley on possible Deshaun Watson trade: ‘He is our quarterback’
HOUSTON — New Houston Texans coach David Culley reiterated Thursday that the team has no intention of trading Deshaun Watson despite the star quarterback’s request to be dealt. Culley, hired in January to replace Bill O’Brien, was asked more than a half-dozen times about Watson’s future with the team. Every...
Newly signed Cowboys QB Dak Prescott healthy, happyVideo
Dak Prescott walked briskly and bounced up the couple of steps onto the stage for the announcement of the richest contract in the storied history of the Dallas Cowboys for their latest star quarterback. It was five months almost to the day Wednesday since the gruesome ankle injury that ended...
Former Penn State WRs Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson top franchise tag listVideo
The big money that accompanies franchise tags for the 2021 season is going to receivers, safeties and linemen. No running backs. No tight ends. No linebackers. And, with Dak Prescott reaching agreement with the Dallas Cowboys on a new four-year deal, no quarterbacks. So wideouts Chris Godwin, who helped the...
Titans trading 2020 1st-round pick Isaiah Wilson to DolphinsVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have found a team in the Miami Dolphins to take their 2020 first-round draft pick off their hands, trading offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson after his rookie season. The trade agreed to Monday night sends the 29th overall pick in 2020 out of Georgia to...
Cowboys, QB Dak Prescott finally have agreement on new contractVideo
The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have finally agreed on the richest contract in club history two years after negotiations first started with the star quarterback. The team said the agreement was reached Monday. It’s a $160 million, four-year contract with $126 million guaranteed and an NFL-record $66 million signing...
Washington releases Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith
Washington released AP Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith on Friday, a move that was expected but still provides a cold ending to the veteran quarterback’s storybook tenure with the organization. Smith’s release clears just under $15 million in salary cap space for Washington, which is hoping to figure...
Baker Mayfield ‘almost’ certain he saw a UFO flying over Texas
Count Baker Mayfield among those who “want to believe.” The Cleveland Browns quarterback decided to go to the one place all people seemingly go to after an encounter with the third kind — Twitter — to let the world know he is “almost” certain he saw a UFO on Wednesday...
Mayfield stops Browns’ QB carousel, team pleased with growthVideo
CLEVELAND — The Browns won’t be chasing a quarterback in free agency. They aren’t stressing over which one to take in the NFL Draft or looking to make a trade. For once, they appear to be set at QB. Baker Mayfield has brought wins, change and calm to Cleveland. Coming...
Ex-NFL player Kellen Winslow II gets 14 years for rapesVideo
SAN DIEGO — Former NFL player Kellen Winslow II was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison for multiple rapes and other sexual offenses against five women in Southern California, including one who was homeless when he attacked her in 2018. The 37-year-old son of San Diego Chargers Hall of...
Kevin Stefanski, Browns back at ‘square one’ after 2020 turnaround
CLEVELAND — Kevin Stefanski’s first season as an NFL coach was sublime, almost storybook. He ended Cleveland’s long playoff drought, won a postseason game — watching from his basement as he recovered from covid-19 — and guided his team around endless obstacles in a global pandemic to almost make the...
Cardinals’ all-out recruiting pitch brings J.J. Watt to the desertVideo
TEMPE, Ariz. — J.J. Watt didn’t lack for suitors when deciding where to continue his football career. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year said there were four or five teams seriously in the hunt. But the more he looked at his options, the more the Arizona Cardinals made...
Cardinals agree to terms with free agent edge rusher JJ Watt
J.J. Watt has agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The team announced the deal with the free-agent edge rusher Monday. Watt was released last month by the Houston Texans, for whom he won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. A person familiar with the contract...