Eagles’ Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete
Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley was announced Monday as EA Sports’ cover athlete for Madden NFL 26. The former Penn State star’s sensational backward hurdle over a defender from Week 9 of last year’s Super Bowl-winning season is depicted on the standard cover. The deluxe edition features a...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NFL should leave flag football alone
The NFL is narcissistic, obnoxious and overbearing in its desire to be everywhere, all the time, 24/7/365. It doesn’t make the great unwashed love the NFL any less. But if anything has ever been too popular, it’s the NFL. (Besides populist fascist dictators.) The NFL’s latest victim is shaping up...
San Francisco 49ers acquire Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff, AP source says
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have agreed on a deal to acquire Bryce Huff from Philadelphia after the pass rusher restructured his contract with the Eagles. A person familiar with the situation said Friday the two sides agreed to the trade after Huff revised his contract. The...
Vikings sign GM Adofo-Mensah to extension
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings signed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to a multi-year contract extension Friday, keeping his status in sync with head coach Kevin O’Connell’s for the long term. O’Connell’s extension was done in January, following a 14-win season. Both Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were hired in 2022 on four-year...
Justin Fields: ‘I can be great’ in Jets’ offense, but there’s plenty of work to do
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields has been the face of a franchise, a disappointing draft pick, a promising newcomer and an eager backup. And that’s all in the span of his first four NFL seasons. The 26-year-old quarterback has never lost his confidence through it all and sees a...
Harbaugh says cutting ties with Justin Tucker was a ‘complex’ decision for the Ravens
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Before Baltimore cut ties with Justin Tucker early this month, coach John Harbaugh said whatever the Ravens decided to do would be a football decision. That doesn’t mean it was simple. Harbaugh was available to local reporters Wednesday for the first time since the Ravens announced...
Mark Andrews reflects on his costly playoff drop, looks for redemption with the Ravens
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens made plenty of mistakes in their loss at Buffalo in last season’s playoffs. The final one belonged to Mark Andrews, who let a tying 2-point conversion pass slip through his hands. It’s not an easy thing to get over. “It’s tough. This is...
Pickett: Browns’ QB competition not contentious
BEREA, Ohio — Kenny Pickett realizes that almost all the offseason attention devoted to the Cleveland Browns is on the quarterback competition. Pickett wants to make one thing abundantly clear, though: Even though it is a competition, things haven’t gotten heated inside the quarterback room. “I think the outside world...
Patriots say they will handle video of receiver Stefon Diggs internally
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that he is aware of a video that showed receiver Stefon Diggs passing a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat. Vrabel declined to comment on whether he has spoken to Diggs about it. “Any conversations that...
Ja’Marr Chase willing to make changes in preseason to help Bengals start faster
CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said while he doesn’t want to play in the preseason, he understands that may be what’s best for a Cincinnati team that has lost its first two games the past three seasons. “It sounds like we need to play in the preseason,” Chase...
Danica Patrick dishes on ’emotionally abusive’ relationship with Aaron Rodgers
Danica Patrick opened up about her former relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers — calling it “emotionally abusive.” The retired NASCAR driver, 43, discussed her time together with the NFL player, 41, on the May 21 episode of “The Sage Steele Show,” People reported. There has been daily speculation that...
Saints brushing off concerns about unproven QBs in Kellen Moore’s first year in charge
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints first-year coach Kellen Moore’s experience tells him that NFL teams can win without an accomplished quarterback. Moore was playing for Dallas when the Cowboys selected Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Prescott won the starting job as a rookie and...
Bengals’ Joe Burrow credits Peyton Manning for his involvement in Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow’s desire for privacy might be on the same level as his drive to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. That is why it was a surprise when Netflix announced in late March that the Cincinnati Bengals star was going to be featured on...
NFL taps Josh Allen, Bills for ‘Hard Knocks’ debut during training camp
EAGAN, Minn. — The reigning NFL MVP will be a featured attraction this season on the league’s training camp documentary, with the Buffalo Bills making their first appearance on “Hard Knocks.” The New York Giants will get another shot, too, after their uncomfortable debut. The NFL announced Wednesday at the...
Brock Purdy avoided offseason drama before signing 5-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After watching two drama-filled offseasons of contract negotiations with his San Francisco 49ers teammates, Brock Purdy was intent on doing his best to avoid a repeat in his situation. Purdy and the 49ers managed to do just that when they agreed on a five-year extension worth...
Colts’ music-loving owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65
INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday at age 65. Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man and the team’s chief operating officer, made the announcement in a statement from the team....
Mark Madden: Documentary exposes Brett Favre, but damage to Jenn Sterger can’t be undone
“The Fall of Favre” is a hit piece. A hatchet job. The Netflix documentary on Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre pays minimal attention to his football greatness, instead savaging Favre for alleged sexual harassment of former media personality Jenn Sterger and his alleged involvement in misusing welfare funds. Good....
NFL owners vote down proposed tush push ban
EAGAN, Minn. — Facing stiff resistance around the NFL, the tush push managed to move the chains and gain a fresh set of downs. League owners narrowly failed to pass a proposal to prohibit the polarizing short-yardage strategy at their spring meetings in Minnesota on Wednesday, keeping the rulebook as...
NFL owners approve player participation in Olympic flag football
EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners have unanimously approved permission for players to participate in flag football for the 2028 Olympics. The vote at the spring meetings in Minnesota on Tuesday authorized the league to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association, the sport’s international governing body...
Eagles give coach Nick Sirianni contract extension after Super Bowl win
PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni already won a Super Bowl this year. The Philadelphia Eagles rewarded Sirianni on Monday with a multi-year contract extension to pair with that championship ring. Sirianni has navigated the Eagles through some personal slings — everything from his supposed frosty relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts to...
With contract extension, Derrick Henry looking for more rushing success with Ravens
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Derrick Henry arrived in Baltimore at age 30 and had one of the best seasons of his career while playing alongside Lamar Jackson. Why leave all that behind? Henry is ready to stay with the Ravens for at least the next couple of years after agreeing...
NFL owners set to discuss tush push again, along with playoff, flag football proposals
The fate of the tush push will be up for discussion again along with the NFL’s history of giving division champions with mediocre records home field in the playoffs. There will be a new topic as well when NFL owners gather Tuesday and Wednesday at the headquarters of the Minnesota...
Shedeur Sanders signs 4-year rookie contract with Browns
CLEVELAND — Shedeur Sanders reached his next NFL milestone Monday as he signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns. The deal is for four years and $4.6 million, according to reports. Cleveland traded up with Seattle to take Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick and...
Antonio Brown detained after gunshots outside Adin Ross’ boxing event
MIAMI — Antonio Brown was detained briefly by police early Saturday after an altercation in which gunshots were fired outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami, according to the former NFL star and video posted to social media. Miami police confirmed in a written statement that officers responded to the...
Brock Purdy agrees to 5-year, $265 million extension with 49ers, AP source says
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $265 million with the San Francisco 49ers, going from the NFL’s biggest bargain to one of the league’s highest-paid players. A person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press the sides reached agreement Friday on the...
