INDIANAPOLIS — Time to acknowledge the role the man in the shadows played in returning the Denver Broncos to the spotlight.

They won 15 games. They reached the AFC Championship in their second-straight playoff appearance. And their roster cements them as an annual contender, faster than anyone thought possible.

Which makes it obvious which ...Read more

MIAMI — The shelves are bare, and the pennies are being pinched.

The Miami Dolphins have spent the majority of Steve Ross’ tenure as the franchise’s owner as one of the NFL’s biggest spenders, but South Florida’s football franchise is paying the price for years of living outside its means.

Trades for big-money players, and lucrative ...Read more

CHICAGO — In the rush by the Indiana legislature to bring the Chicago Bears to the state, lawmakers gushed over the proposal.

One sponsor said they’d be “honored” to welcome the Bears owners. Another called the legislation “a major historical event.”

One group was conspicuously absent from comments at the capital in Indianapolis: ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — On Thursday, ESPN published the leaked results of this year’s NFL Players Association annual report cards. For the first time in the four-year history of the union’s survey, the Steelers finished last among the NFL’s 32 franchises. And when this news was announced, very few were surprised.

This year’s report card covered ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Barely two weeks after losing the Super Bowl, the Patriots flew most of their coaching staff and front-office members to get back to work at the NFL scouting combine.

After speaking with several coaches, scouts, agents and executives around the league, here is everything the Boston Herald learned about the Patriots’ plans for...Read more

Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez may have been under the influence of several illicit drugs during his violent encounter with a truck driver in Indianapolis last year, at least according to court documents filed by the alleged victim.

Sanchez, 39, is facing a felony charge of battery involving serious bodily injury and three misdemeanors in...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The focus of the NFL scouting combine is the looming draft and the flood of college prospects who will comprise it. It’s a head start on a free-agency window that opens in a couple of weeks. It’s the chance to finalize an ideal blueprint for the next couple of months.

Or, more simply, the focus of the combine is the ...Read more

You wonder whether Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley are willing to risk it all on Green Bay quarterback Malik Willis.

Because that’s what they’d be doing if they sign the 26-year-old Willis, who they know from their two years together in Green Bay, to a multi-year free-agent contract.

Sullivan and Hafley ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — There is no position on the Ravens’ roster more polarizing than wide receiver.

The label is inherent to the job, which is high volume/limited opportunity, high pressure and highly visible. But it has also been a particular issue for Baltimore through the years.

Since 2019 — Lamar Jackson’s first year as a full-time ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Vrabel’s recent comments about A.J. Brown may not qualify as tampering, but they are reflective of a certain preoccupation those associated with the Eagles have had with the wide receiver’s future at the scouting combine this week.

And, to some degree, the rest of the league shares that preoccupation — elite ...Read more

DETROIT — A former Michigan football assistant coach has been fired from his job with the Atlanta Falcons following allegations of sexual and physical abuse stemming from his time on staff in Ann Arbor.

LaTroy Lewis was fired as assistant defensive line coach with the Falcons, the team announced Friday afternoon, hours after it said it was ...Read more

DETROIT — The attorney for Terrion Arnold denied the Detroit Lions cornerback's alleged ties to an armed robbery and kidnapping that occurred in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 4.

In a statement provided to The Detroit News, R. Timothy Jansen said that "Mr. Arnold had no involvement whatsoever in the activities" that have led to the arrest of at least ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza lauded his first formal meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders at the NFL scouting combine.

“It was a fantastic interview,” Mendoza said Friday morning. “The coaching staff was in there, and we went through some of my previous plays and drew some plays on the board. I thought it was a ...Read more

A former Michigan football assistant coach has been fired from his job with the Atlanta Falcons following allegations of sexual and physical abuse stemming from his time on staff in Ann Arbor.

LaTroy Lewis was fired as assistant defensive line coach with the Falcons, the team announced Friday afternoon, hours after it said it was investigating ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — It’s common advice, Brandon Graham said, to plan out what you’re going to do after you retire while you’re still playing pro sports.

You never know when your career will be over, the Eagles defensive end said. Just take it from him — Graham retired at the end of the 2024 season, then decided to come back midway through ...Read more

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed a bill that outlines a financial structure for a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond about an hour after the state Senate gave the bill its final approval on Thursday, while Illinois lawmakers were inching closer to a tax deal to try to keep the team in the Land of Lincoln.

“We made it clear from the beginning that...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold's name has surfaced in a Florida court order detailing the orchestration of an armed robbery and kidnapping that took place shortly after midnight on Feb. 4 in Tampa.

The allegations mentioning Arnold were included in a seven-page order from Hillsborough County Circuit Judge J. Logan Murphy ...Read more

SEATTLE — Bill Gates won’t be buying the Seattle Seahawks, the Microsoft co-founder said this week.

The Seahawks organization, run by fellow Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s sister Jody Allen, announced this month it was beginning the formal sale process of the team. The team’s price is expected to surpass $6 billion.

Though Gates ...Read more

For Rueben Bain Jr. to become an NFL star, he’ll need to do it as an outlier.

The ultra-productive Miami edge rusher’s arms measured at 30 7/8 inches at the NFL scouting combine — one of the shortest measurements at his position in recent decades.

Since 1999, only four edge rushers measured in with shorter arms than Bain, according to ...Read more