LOS ANGELES — The Pro Football Hall of Fame apparently can wait — until at least 2031.

When Aaron Donald retired two years ago, the Hall of Fame posted to social media, “The year 2029 is worth noting.”

That would have been the year Donald would be eligible as a certain first-ballot inductee in Canton, Ohio.

But on Sunday, Donald ...Read more

DENVER — Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Sunday by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The placement means Cooper will continue to be paid for the time being, but he cannot practice with Denver or play in games. Cooper, 28, is set to be arraigned Monday in Douglas County on a felony ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Jalon Daniels not only won the job as the Buccaneers’ No. 2 quarterback, he’s the only player backing up Baker Mayfield.

The undrafted rookie from Kansas, despite a poor performance in Friday’s preseason shutout loss to Jacksonville, beat out veteran Jake Browning for the job.

Daniels, 23, led the Bucs to comeback wins ...Read more

DENVER — If Evan Engram is the answer, Broncos Country does not want to know the question.

Team Retention is bent on becoming Team Redemption. But one blemish on the Broncos’ roster remains.

The tight end position is the mole on Cindy Crawford’s cheek.

For the Broncos to reach the Super Bowl, it stands to reason they need more ...Read more

MIAMI — On a night where every Miami Dolphins player of significance that wasn’t a rookie sat, Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay Jr. clocked in for work.

Dodson and Gay Jr., who have 100 NFL starts between them, played the entire first half of a meaningless preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and that has to be unsettling because of the ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — In 1979, Iowa coach Hayden Fry called Chuck Noll and asked if he could copy the Steelers’ uniforms.

Fry took over a Hawkeyes program that hadn’t had a winning season since 1961 and he said he wanted his team to “look like winners.” The Steelers had just won their third Super Bowl and were the dominant team in the NFL.

...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas caught a 97-yard touchdown pass from Tyson Bagent on his first NFL play Saturday during the Chicago Bears’ 24-15 win against the Tennessee Titans in the preseason finale.

Playing in his first preseason game after missing the first two with a knee injury, Thomas saw plenty of action on ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins have traded away quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

First reported by NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo, the Jaguars sent a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for the second-year quarterback. He’s expected to immediately slide into the QB2 role behind Trevor Lawrence.

...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The door was open for rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer to prove his value in the Detroit Lions' preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

But it was instead veteran Josh Dobbs who made an emphatic case to be Jared Goff's backup in Detroit's 25-16 win at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.

Dobbs was 15 for 19 for 128 yards and...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Justlikethat, Patrick Mahomes is the fourth-longest tenured Chief, the seventh-oldest on the roster and a father of three just weeks from turning 31.

Most likely but not certainly with him in the lineup after relentless rehabilitation from a 2025 season-ending knee injury, Mahomes suddenly will begin his 10th NFL season ...Read more

Imagine Warren Buffett participating in your fantasy draft.

I doubt he’d ever scream an expletive because someone took his sleeper right before him.

I can’t imagine him ever staring mournfully at a crossed-out name on his draft list.

And I’m certain he’s not drafting the ninth running back in Round 3 after the previous eight picks ...Read more

NFL training camps are supposed to provide clarity.

For five weeks in the sweltering Santa Clara heat, with three little Thursday-night jaunts in NFL stadiums, coaches evaluate, players compete, and, in theory, the best possible football team emerges from the chaos of 90-plus guys crashing into each other.

Except that didn’t happen for the ...Read more

SEATTLE — He's a big fan of … who?

Vinod Khosla, who is all but confirmed as the new owner of the Seattle Seahawks after the NFL unanimously approved his purchase of the team Wednesday afternoon, told The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta in Atlanta that he's a big fan of another NFL franchise.

Surprisingly, the team he mentioned isn't the San ...Read more

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. wore sparkling red cleats Friday night seemingly designed to look like Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

The message was clear: There’s no place like home.

And home for OBJ is MetLife Stadium, where he aims to author his next Giant chapter by making the 53-man roster this weekend.

...Read more

BALTIMORE — The preseason is over.

The Ravens closed out their slate with a 41-3 thumping of the Commanders on Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Now come a few tough decisions for general manager Eric DeCosta and coach Jesse Minter, with the deadline for trimming the roster from 89 players to 53 being Sunday at 6 p.m.

The reality is most of ...Read more

DENVER — Sean Payton apparently has a little free time.

The Broncos head coach took to Twitter to call out a take he didn’t like regarding his quarterback, Bo Nix.

It started with a clip from the FS1 show “First Things First” in which analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz was asked if he thinks it’s more likely Nix ...Read more

DENVER — The recent CTE study demands more than lip service to player safety.

The NFL wants you to believe it cares about those in uniform. But not as much as it loves money. There is a reason no games were missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hardly a week goes by where owners don’t hint of adding an 18th regular season game. Commissioner...Read more

Three months after Josh Jacobs was arrested on five charges relating to domestic abuse, the Green Bay Packers star running back on Thursday was formally charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.

The Brown County (Wis.) District Attorney's Office released an incident report that asserts that video footage ...Read more

SEATTLE — To the Khosla family:

First, let me say, welcome to Seattle. I hear you bought the Seahawks. Congratulations! That might not mean much, coming from a columnist who still drives a rusted 2003 Honda CR-V that whimpers while it miraculously limps along. I can’t even count to $9.612 billion, what the Seahawks cost to buy, more than 20...Read more

Mike Vrabel had a point last week.

The Patriots showed once again on Thursday night in their 37-13 preseason finale loss to the Browns that they are not a deep team.

The Patriots sat 37 players against the Browns, and 31 can be described as starters or pseudo-starters. That means that roughly 22 of the players who were on the field Thursday ...Read more