ATLANTA — Raheem Morris might have gotten away with it if things went as planned with Kirk Cousins.

The Falcons coach didn’t do enough to prepare Michael Penix Jr. to play as a rookie, and it showed once Penix replaced Cousins as the starter. Now, we’ll see what Penix can do now that Morris has committed to him as QB1 for an entire ...Read more

MIAMI — Mike McDaniel has produced winning seasons, and led the Miami Dolphins to the postseason in two of his three seasons he’s been the helm of South Florida’s NFL franchise.

The Dolphins have produced that 28-23 record under McDaniel, despite playing without Tua Tagovailoa for 10 of those games the past three seasons because of ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In a recent ESPN poll of coaches, executives and scouts, Jalen Hurts was ranked as the NFL’s ninth-best quarterback. It should go without saying that this result is so ridiculous that it calls the entire poll — and the acumen of all those supposed football experts — into question. Everyone knows that Hurts isn’t the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A $50 million lawsuit that accused Shannon Sharpe of rape has been settled.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm represented a Jane Doe, who filed the civil lawsuit against the retired NFL star and sports media personality earlier this year, announced the settlement on Friday afternoon in a statement posted on Instagram.

“After ...Read more

NEW YORK — NFL players’ union executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned in a statement late Thursday night after heavy scrutiny of the NFLPA’s recent activity revealed Howell to be unfit for the role.

Howell and the union had struck a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to hide the details of a damning January arbitration ruling on ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It was a summer day in June, but Daiyan Henley was dressed for a prime-time moment. Fitted with long socks, white pants and a sleeve on his elbow, the Chargers linebacker's practice jersey was complete with game-ready lightning bolts on each shoulder.

Other team's practice jerseys are plain. They're looser. They're more ...Read more

MIAMI — It was a nondescript training camp practice on an ordinary late August morning in 2023, one of the two sessions that led up to the final preseason game.

Training camp was about to conclude, which means the risk of daily injury was about to be drastically reduced for every player.

Zach Sieler’s buddy Christian Wilkins was already ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL had been waiting for criminal charges to be resolved before issuing punishment to Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice for his role in a six-car freeway crash in Dallas in March 2024.

That shoe dropped Thursday as Rice was sentenced by a Dallas judge to 30 days of jail time and five years probation.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter, ...Read more

MIAMI — What is most remarkable about Miami steadfastly and beyond debate being a Football Town is that our two goliaths, the Dolphins and Hurricanes, have spent so much of the past quarter century not earning the title but seemingly trying to give it away.

Yet, as the most cherished season returns with the onset of training camps, no other ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The last time T.J. Watt gave us something to talk about via Instagram, the Steelers edge rusher was flashing a peace sign. On Thursday, Watt reappeared with an image of him screaming and flexing, as news of his record new deal broke.

Perhaps Watt will explain that he got hooked on the Grateful Dead over the summer. He certainly ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers believe in T.J. Watt to keep playing at a high level, and they showed him the money to do so on Thursday.

Watt and the Steelers agreed to a new four-year, $144.05 million deal that keeps him under contract through the 2028 season.

Sources told the Post-Gazette that the package includes $108 million guaranteed — ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice has been sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of probation following his actions in a March 2024 high-speed car crash, according to a Dallas County news release.

Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges. As part of a plea agreement with...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Wide receiver Mike Williams' agent has informed the Chargers he is retiring, the team confirmed Thursday as training camp began.

Williams was set to begin camp on the physically unable to perform list after suffering an undisclosed injury during the offseason training program, but general manager Joe Hortiz expected Williams ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Addison pleaded to a lesser charge Thursday during a hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court stemming from his July 2024 drunken driving arrest.

Online court filings show the Vikings receiver pleaded “nolo contendere,” or no contest, to a charge of wet reckless driving upon a highway.

He was originally charged ...Read more

NEW YORK — Russell Wilson went on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” this week. He got his picture taken wearing sunglasses in New York City for a Sports Illustrated digital cover and feature.

The Giants’ projected starting quarterback is taking full advantage of signing a one-year contract with a franchise in a major market that ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Chargers running back Najee Harris likely will begin training camp on the non-football injury list, general manager Joe Hortiz said Wednesday, after the running back suffered a minor eye injury during a fireworks incident on July 4.

As veteran teammates reported for camp Wednesday morning, Harris was still getting evaluated by ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen apparently extended his string of troubling incidents, this time for being unruly on a flight Wednesday bound for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The 37-year-old former standout defensive lineman, who lives in the Twin Cities, was removed from the Delta airliner ...Read more

DENVER — In 2022, when the concept of NIL was in its infant and amorphous stages, Jahdae Barron went to Texas assistant coach Brennan Marion and asked how he could become a better player. He wanted, naturally, to make some money.

He didn’t want a car; mom Techonia Davis had made that happen already. He didn’t want to boost his bank ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins have Jonah Savaiinaea penciled in as one of the team’s starting guards from the day they drafted the University of Arizona standout in the second round. Whether he’s on the left or the right will be determined in training camp, whenever he signs his deal and shows up.

Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek ...Read more

DENVER — Burnham Yard or Lone Tree? Frankly, my dear, Tom Jacobsen doesn’t give a dome.

“What makes football so unique is the fact that they will play in anything,” the Broncos lifer told me. Jacobsen, 54, has had season tickets in the family since 1965 and has been attending games at Mile High and its successor, Empower Field, since ...Read more