QB quest new for Patriots but familiar for AFC East foesVideo
NEW YORK — Welcome to the club, Patriots. You know, that unsettling feeling over not being sure who your starting quarterback will be this season, next year — or beyond. Just ask New England’s AFC East rivals about it. Miami, Buffalo and the New York Jets have lived through that...
Bills, Jets, Dolphins hope to capitalize on Tom Brady’s departureVideo
MIAMI — The biggest free-agent deal for the Miami Dolphins this offseason has been one they didn’t make. The Dolphins spent more than $237 million last month and signed seven potential starters. But none will help their chances of overtaking the Patriots in the AFC East as much as Tom...
Browns sign free agent DE Adrian Clayborn to 2-year dealVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns plan to sign veteran free agent defensive end Adrian Clayborn to a two-year, $6 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Clayborn, who spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons, agreed to terms on a deal that includes...
Bengals release starting CB Dre Kirkpatrick in defensive overhaulVideo
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals released starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on Tuesday, another move to overhaul their secondary after a 2-14 season. Kirkpatrick was a first-round pick in 2012 and started 67 games in eight seasons. He missed 10 games last season with a knee injury. Kirkpatrick was involved in...
Seahawks release TE Ed Dickson, waive safety Tedric ThompsonVideo
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks cleared a chunk of salary cap space by waiving safety Tedric Thompson and releasing veteran tight end Ed Dickson on Tuesday. Both moves were expected after each player seemed to fall out of favor with the Seahawks, and the transactions will clear more than...
NFL team owners vote to expand playoffs by 2 teamsVideo
The NFL is gearing up for a normal season and playoffs — with two additional wild-card teams in the Super Bowl chase. NFL team owners voted Tuesday to expand the playoffs by one team in each conference for a total of 14 next season as they continue to plan for...
Tim Benz: Jim Rutherford is right about champions having ‘integrity’ in shortened seasons
Tom Glavine. Patrick Kane. Doug Williams. Tim Duncan. “Who are four men who have never been in my kitchen, Alex?” Yes, Cliff Clavin. Technically, that is correct. But I’m going to need you to be more specific. “Who are four MVPs of their respective sports championship round?” Also true. But...
Eric Reid calls NFL CBA invalid, wants probe over ‘major’ post-vote changesVideo
Free agent safety Eric Reid wants the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement invalidated over language added following ratification of the pact earlier this month. He is calling for an investigation and a re-vote. In a letter to the NFLPA on Monday, Reid’s lawyers said language posted on the players association’s...
All-Decade Team a dicey proposition, other than a few starsVideo
All-Decade teams are a dicey proposition. Some all-time greats never made such a team because of, basically, bad timing. Maybe they broke into the NFL in mid-decade, such as Curtis Martin in 1995 or Fred Dean 20 years earlier. Both are Hall of Famers without ever making an All-Decade squad....
Crystal ball: Projecting the upcoming NFL scheduleVideo
Besides the draft, the other big event on April’s NFL calendar is the release of the regular-season schedule. Teams have known their opponents since late December, but Howard Katz and his scheduling department continue to parse through over 50,000 scenarios pumped out by nearly 1,500 computers across the world. Now...
Melvin Gordon using lessons of holdout as motivation in 2020Video
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Melvin Gordon’s futile holdout last season holds many a lesson for the sixth-year running back, including the realization that the former Los Angeles Chargers star still has plenty of doubters despite scoring 49 touchdowns in college and 47 more in the NFL. “I’m coming in hungry, ready...
New playbook: Women rising through NFL ranks at many levelsVideo
NEW YORK — Sophia Lewin was 12 years old when she told her father about her career goal: coaching football. Her dad didn’t exactly scoff, but he suggested perhaps scouting would be a more attainable profession. Nowadays, there are women handling both jobs. According to 2019 research by the Institute...
Who’s Zooming? Dolphins newcomers get virtual introductionsVideo
MIAMI — As linebacker Kyle Van Noy visited with reporters for the first time since joining the Miami Dolphins, he wore headphones — not for noise canceling, but to hear the questions. Because of the new coronavirus, the Dolphins arranged media interviews via Zoom for eight newly acquired free agents....
The story of the NFL draft, from extravaganza to unadorned
An NFL draft handled remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic is the latest twist to an event that has become as popular as any pro football happening short of the Super Bowl. Roger Goodell alerted NFL teams in a memo Thursday night that the dates of this year’s draft would...
NFL keeping draft in April as scheduledVideo
NEW YORK — Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL teams Thursday that the draft will go on as originally scheduled for next month. The draft will still take place April 23-25. It was originally scheduled for a big outdoor production in Las Vegas, but those plans were scrapped because of the...
AP Source: Browns tackle, former Steeler Chris Hubbard restructures contractVideo
CLEVELAND — Browns right tackle Chris Hubbard has agreed to rework his contract and take a substantial pay cut after the team signed free agent Jack Conklin, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday. Hubbard, who lost his starting job when Cleveland signed Conklin to...
Source: Cowboys resume contract talks with QB Dak PrescottVideo
DALLAS — As the clock slowly ticks on a contract-extension deadline, the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott don’t appear to be wasting time. The sides resumed discussions on a long-term deal, a source said Wednesday evening. Last week, Dallas placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott, keeping him from...
Patriots’ Devin McCourty ready for post-Tom Brady era in New EnglandVideo
BOSTON — Don’t minimize the New England Patriots. Devin McCourty warns the NFL that in the post-Tom Brady era, forgetting about New England is not a wise move. The safety, defensive captain and three-time Super Bowl champion is entering his 11th season in New England after recently agreeing to a...
How paths might have changed under expanded NFL playoffsVideo
Lovie Smith’s coaching tenure in Chicago might not have ended had the Bears made the playoffs his final three seasons instead of missing out by one spot his last two years. Playoff droughts in Cleveland and Tampa Bay wouldn’t be nearly as long or painful had the Browns and Bucs...
Analysis: Tom Brady over Jameis Winston easy decision for BuccaneersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — The decision to pursue Tom Brady in free agency was a no-brainer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s not to suggest a lot of thinking and planning didn’t go into it. In snaring the six-time Super Bowl winner, who signed a two-year, $50 million contract that’s fully...
Roger Goodell orders all NFL team facilities closed for 2 weeksVideo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has instructed the 32 teams to close their facilities to all but a select few employees by 6 p.m. Wednesday. In a memo to the teams, Goodell said the restrictions meant as a safeguard against the new coronavirus will be in force until at least April...
Tom Brady looking forward, not behind with BuccaneersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady said one day he’ll have time to reflect on a historic 20-year stint with the New England Patriots. Right now, the six-time Super Bowl champion and newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is focused on his next challenge. It’s a big one. “I don’t...
Column: Cam Newton’s legacy with Panthers comes down to one 3-letter wordVideo
What I will miss most about Cam Newton carrying the Carolina Panthers through so many dozens of games boils down to one word: Joy. Newton did a lot of things differently. But his joy for the game and for life blanketed all of it through his nine years as a...
Chargers unveil updated lightning bolt and logotypeVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers updated their logo and unveiled new logotype ahead of their move into their new home. The franchise is keeping the lightning bolt as its primary logo, but it has become sleeker and streamlined. There is not as much of a curve to the...
Browns sign Case Keenum as mentor/fall-back plan for MayfieldVideo
CLEVELAND — Case Keenum’s NFL journey is reuniting him with a coach who brought out the best in the quarterback. Keenum signed his three-year, $18 million contract Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns, who are bringing him in to help mentor Baker Mayfield while also giving new coach Kevin Stefanski a...
