AP Source: QB Deshaun Watson requests trade from Houston Texans
HOUSTON — Star quarterback Deshaun Watson has requested a trade from the Houston Texans, a person familiar with the move told the Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the request and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Thursday. Watson has a no-trade...
AP sources: Michael Strahan tests positive for covid-19
Pro Football Hall of Famer and “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan tested positive for covid-19 and is self-quarantining, according to people familiar with the situation. Strahan is currently not experiencing any severe symptoms from covid-19. The people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because of...
Buccaneers fans set to cheer inside, outside Super Bowl stadium
TAMPA, Fla. — Warren Sapp wishes fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could pack the stands for the first Super Bowl played in a host team’s home stadium. Because of coronavirus pandemic concerns, the NFL’s decision to limit capacity to 22,000 at Raymond James Stadium and soaring prices for a...
TE Jason Witten says he’s retiring again after 17th season
DALLAS — Jason Witten said he is retiring again, apparently for good this time. The longtime Dallas Cowboys tight end who spent his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 told ESPN on Wednesday that he was walking away “knowing that for 17 seasons I gave it my...
Retirement age? Super Bowl coaches Arians, Reid just getting startedVideo
There’s no retirement age in the NFL, and that’s a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay. Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are two of the league’s five oldest coaches. Reid is closing in on 63, and Arians turned 68 in October. They have a combined 55...
Seahawks say Chad Wheeler ‘no longer with the team’ after arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violenceVideo
SEATTLE — Chad Wheeler, a backup offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks for parts of the past two seasons, will not be back with the team in 2021 following an arrest over the weekend on suspicion of felony domestic violence, the team confirmed Wednesday. Wheeler was arrested early Saturday morning...
NFL picks 3 honorary captains, including Aliquippa man, for Super Bowl coin toss
NEW YORK — The NFL has selected three people who have served during the coronavirus pandemic as honorary captains for the Super Bowl along with inaugural poet Amanda Gorman for an original poem. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that Marine veteran James Martin, educator Trimaine Davis and nurse manager Suzie...
Rams GM echoes Sean McVay’s uncertainty on Jared Goff’s future with RamsVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are openly contemplating the possibility of a near future without quarterback Jared Goff. General manager Les Snead on Tuesday echoed coach Sean McVay’s pointed uncertainty last week about the prospects of Goff, the fifth-year starter who led the Rams to the Super Bowl...
Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s patience in struggling players pays offVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mecole Hardman trudged to the sideline as the Bills trotted onto the field, then slumped onto the bench and tossed a huge Kansas City Chiefs coat over his head like a shroud as Buffalo took advantage of his fumbled punt for an easy touchdown. It was...
Packers’ Aaron Rodgers clarifies postgame remarks about futureVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers says “I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back” with the Green Bay Packers next season. But he added his future isn’t necessarily in his control. Rodgers was clarifying remarks he made Sunday after the Packers’ 31-26 NFC championship...
Here’s which former Penn State Nittany Lions will participate in Super Bowl LV
Penn State has been well-represented in the Super Bowl over the years. This will again be the case when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 7. For the 50th time in the history...
Former Steelers assistant Bruce Arians’ puts struggling Bucs on path to Super Bowl 55Video
TAMPA, Fla. — It took five coaching changes over a decade-plus of futility before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally got it right, luring Bruce Arians out of retirement. Two seasons later, the 68-year-old quarterback expert has them in the Super Bowl. Signing Tom Brady was a big part of solving...
Oft-suspended former Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant joins CFLVideo
Martavis Bryant, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders wide receiver suspended multiple times by the NFL for substance abuse violations, signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. The ex-Clemson star drew an indefinite suspension in 2018 while with Oakland. He has not played in the league since. The NFL said...
Reports: Eagles assistant Duce Staley joins Lions
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley is joining the Lions in the same capacity, according to multiple reports. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports first reported Staley’s departure to Detroit. “Longtime Eagles assistant coach Duce Staley will join Dan Campbell’s staff,” La Canfora tweeted. Tom Pelissero...
Old (Brady), young (Mahomes), different Super Bowl 55 awaits
For Tom Brady, another trip to the Super Bowl — but this time, in a Tampa Bay uniform. And for his new team, the Buccaneers, a first-of-its-kind home game, but without the usual home-field advantage. To put a bow on this make-it-up-as-we-go NFL season — a campaign upended but never...
Chiefs open as field goal Super Bowl favorites
LAS VEGAS — Oddsmakers like Kansas City to win a second straight Super Bowl, making the Chiefs a field goal or better favorite to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Westgate Superbook and the Station Casinos chain opened the game with the Chiefs favored by 3 1/2...
Budweiser joins Coke, Pepsi brands in sitting out Super Bowl
NEW YORK — For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn’t advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it’s donating the money it would have spent on the ad to...
Reigning champion Chiefs dump Bills in AFC title gameVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took the Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating decades to make their second Super Bowl appearance. Now, the defending champs are headed there for the second straight year. Showing no lingering effects from a concussion, Patrick Mahomes sliced up Buffalo’s secondary with ruthless efficiency as the...
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers laments team’s uncertain futureVideo
Aaron Rodgers was lamenting the sudden end of a remarkable season he’ll treasure long after he’s retired, running through a list of Green Bay Packers teammates he’s grown the closest to. “There’s a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain, myself included,” Rodgers said, managing a slight laugh as if...
Tom Brady leads Tampa Bay past Green Bay, home for Super BowlVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tom Brady, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ road magic, has them heading home to the Super Bowl, the first team to play in one on their home field. Brady owns six Super Bowl rings with New England and now heads to his 10th NFL championship...
Philadelphia Eagles officially hire Nick Sirianni as next head coach
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles hired Nick Sirianni to be their next head coach, the team announced Sunday morning. Sirianni, 39, spent the past three seasons as the Colts’ offensive coordinator, and he replaces Doug Pederson, who was fired last week after five seasons, three playoff appearances, two NFC East titles...
Column: Patrick Mahomes ‘cleared’ for big game. What could go wrong?
Never mind that Patrick Mahomes got knocked silly and out of a game barely a week ago. He always was going to play Sunday against Buffalo, and because it’s the AFC Championship — instead of, say, Week 3 of the regular season — the only way the Chiefs’ star wouldn’t...
Big offenses, overlooked defenses as Bills face Chiefs in AFC title gameVideo
Two teams so absent from championship history for so long until recently will face off for the AFC championship Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs won their first NFL title since 1970 when they beat San Francisco in last year’s Super Bowl. When they host Buffalo, the Chiefs will take on...
AP: Lions looking into trading QB Matthew StaffordVideo
A person with direct knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford have mutually agreed to explore the possibilities of trading him. The person spoke Saturday night to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team and Stafford did not announce the decision. The...
Packers offensive line rolling even without All-Pro LT
Not even the loss of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari can slow a Green Bay Packers offensive line that has withstood adversity all season. Green Bay lost two of its original five starters to season-ending knee injuries, with right guard Lane Taylor going down in the opener. The Packers were...
