NFL teams are using 2 tight ends less frequently, but those that do still find it effectiveVideo
HENDERSON, Nev. — Michael Mayer appreciated the reassuring call from the Raiders after they selected Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick in April, though he wasn’t exactly thrilled they drafted a tight end. Mayer’s position. But once he had a chance to reflect, Mayer decided to embrace the situation....
U mad, bro?: For Pittsburgh sports fans, it’s an OTA week (outwardly tangible anger)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are knee deep in an OTA week: organized team activities. “U mad, bro?” is also knee deep in an OTA week: outwardly tangible anger. Booing Rowdy Tellez. Bemoaning the Penguins’ place in the NHL hierarchy. Rationalizing the Steelers’ lack of wide receiver depth. It’s OTAs, people! Let’s...
Commanders kicker Brandon McManus and the Jaguars are being sued in civil courtVideo
The Washington Commanders said Monday they were made aware of a lawsuit filed in civil court last week against kicker Brandon McManus, and the Jacksonville Jaguars acknowledged they also are being sued. A Commanders spokesperson said the team is looking into the situation and has spoken with McManus’ agent and...
Saints make Superdome renovation payment, defuse public standoff with state officials
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints made an $11.4 million payment toward Superdome renovations Friday, diffusing a public standoff between the NFL club and state officials who oversee the stadium that will host the next Super Bowl. Announcement of the payment by the club and the Louisiana Stadium and...
Penn State product NaVorro Bowman transitioning from All-Pro LB to Chargers assistant
COSTA MESA, Calif. — NaVorro Bowman was able to see as a player how quickly Jim Harbaugh could turn a team into a Super Bowl contender. Bowman has reunited with Harbaugh, albeit in a different capacity. Harbaugh hired Bowman in February to be the Los Angeles Chargers’ linebackers coach. It...
Sean Payton praises all 3 QBs competing for Broncos starting job
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos closed their first week of OTAs on Thursday with coach Sean Payton praising all three quarterbacks competing for the starting job and cautioning that nothing should be read into the order in which they take snaps. “We try to split up all the reps,″...
NFL closer to filling every day of the week with a game as league’s reach keeps growingVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NFL hasn’t scheduled a game for every day of the week. Yet. “We’re going to be the new 7-Eleven,” New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “NFL, 24 hours, you can watch them play any given day.” The veteran preparing for his 14th season has...
NFL making progress but not ready to vote on Tom Brady’s bid for stake in Raiders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NFL is making progress on Tom Brady’s bid to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders with Mark Davis. How much closer the seven-time Super Bowl champ is to joining the league’s club of owners remains to be seen. Owners did not vote in...
Seattle QB Geno Smith says learning a new offense is easier at this point of his careerVideo
RENTON, Wash. — With the number of stops he has made and the number of offensive coordinators he has worked with over the years, learning yet another new offense isn’t quite as daunting as it once was for Seattle quarterback Geno Smith. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, though. “When I...
Times have changed for Dak Prescott; Cowboys QB isn’t worried about contract
FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott felt disrespected four years ago during the long wait for his first big payday as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. The 2016 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year had been a bargain as a fourth-round draft pick and played on the franchise tag before...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson hopes dropping a few pounds will make him even more agile this upcoming seasonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A slimmer Lamar Jackson hopes to be even more agile in 2024. His actual weight at the moment? That’s something of a secret. Jackson acknowledges that he is lighter but isn’t offering many specifics. “I’m like two-something right now,” he said Wednesday. “I’ll say it was...
Ravens’ Zay Flowers addresses investigation of alleged domestic violence incident
BALTIMORE — Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers said Wednesday he spent part of this offseason focused on trying to “be a better person.” It was the first time that Flowers met with the media since a police investigation into an alleged domestic incident connected to the wide receiver took place...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes: Harrison Butker entitled to his beliefs, even if he doesn’t agree
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday that while he doesn’t agree with all the beliefs espoused by kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address, the Chiefs quarterback nevertheless respects his teammate’s right to make them be known. Butker delivered what has become a polarizing speech May 11 at...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson doesn’t throw on Day 2 of practice as he recovers from shoulder surgery
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson did not make any throws on Wednesday with reporters in attendance as the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback continues to recover from right shoulder surgery. Watson played in just six games last season before breaking his throwing shoulder and needing surgery in November. He took part in...
NFL’s accelerator program gives minority coaches optimism that new system worksVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Getting lessons on how to manage a crisis and deal with the media will help Houston quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka when and if they interview for NFL head coaching jobs. That’s exactly what the NFL’s coach accelerator program is...
NFL limits interviews to 3 hours for coaches still busy in playoffs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — NFL owners voted Tuesday to limit interviews with coaches whose clubs remain alive in the playoffs to no more than three hours per team at a time. Teams wanting to talk to prospective head coaches in person also will have to chat at a spot approved by...
Packers’ Jordan Love stays mum on contract talks as he looks to build off success
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love isn’t letting the unsettled nature of his contract negotiations prevent him from joining his teammates for organized team activities this week. Love is preparing to enter the final year of his contract after improving his stock exponentially by leading the...
49ers begin on-field work in offseason with Nick Bosa in town, Brandon Aiyuk missing
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers began their on-field work in the offseason with a surprise participant and a predictable absence. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa took part in the voluntary portion of the offseason for a change after spending previous seasons working out on his own in...
Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice won’t face charges from injured person over alleged assault, Dallas police say
DALLAS — Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice won’t face charges from the injured person over his reported involvement in an alleged assault a little over a month after Rice was one of the speeding drivers in a chain-reaction crash that led to multiple charges. Dallas police said Tuesday the...
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers ‘doing everything’ at practice in his return from torn Achilles tendonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers is throwing and, more importantly, running again and officially putting his torn Achilles tendon behind him. The New York Jets quarterback has no limitations as he practices with the team during organized team activities, which began Monday. “I feel really good,” the quarterback said...
Jim Otto, ‘Mr. Raider’ and Pro Football Hall of Famer, dies at 86
Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as “Mr. Raider” for his durability through a litany of injuries, has died, the team confirmed Sunday night. He was 86. The cause of death was not immediately known. “The Original Raider,” the club said in a statement posted on the social...
Irish interest in NFL heats up, league scouts more international cities
LONDON — Several hundred thousand Irish viewers got a tutorial from Charlie Smyth on the difference between lining up a kick in Gaelic football versus a field goal in American football. Smyth, who just had signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints, humbly told “The Late Late Show’s” national...
NFL distances itself from Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s comments
NEW YORK — The NFL is distancing itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.” Butker appeared as the commencement speaker last week at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas, and said most of...
Why so many prime-time games? NFL executives believe Jets ‘owe us one.’Video
NEW YORK — A year ago, after Aaron Rodgers was acquired in a trade with the Packers, the Jets received six national television games. But Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into his Gang Green debut against the Buffalo Bills and missed the rest of the 2023 season. Now, the...
NFL’s late Sunday afternoon doubleheader window continues to get the most scrutiny and viewers
When the NFL schedule gets released, fans and commentators obsess over how many prime-time appearances teams will make. However, the biggest competition and most attention when it comes to formulating the schedule each year is the late afternoon window for Fox and CBS. The 4:25 p.m. Sunday spot is the...
