The NFL has told 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk to put his touchdown celebration on ice because, the league said, it too closely resembles slamming down an adult beverage.

Juszczyk reportedly already is appealing the $14,926 fine issued this week by the league. The NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, told Juszczyk that he violated Rule 12, ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 30 years after the Chiefs cut him a second time, Byron Jackson still has dreams of catching passes in their uniform. And he still calls the free-agent experience in the early 1990s here “really life-changing.”

Most of all, though, that was in terms of the soon-to-be traumatic way it led to finding himself and ...Read more

MIAMI — Tua Tagovailoa isn’t around to serve as a stabilizing presence for the Miami Dolphins offense.

There is no Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle here to play superhero, delivering big plays.

Darren Waller, a once-elite tight end, isn’t around to bring down touchdowns in the red zone.

No Rasul Douglas, a veteran cornerback, to lock down ...Read more

BALTIMORE — It was June 4. The Ravens were still a few months away from deciding who would even make their roster, but a more pressing deadline loomed: They had to make sure their ketchup made it onto an ocean freighter bound for Brazil.

Brazilian ketchup is, after all, different from the stuff in the United States.

“We’re trying to make...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — Two weeks after Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold left Lumen Field in an ambulance amid fears he might have dislocated his hip, he returned to the practice field at the VMAC amid hopes he may be able to play Sunday at Washington.

“It’s on a good track right now, assuming today goes well, coach Mike Macdonald said before ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Tom Brady teased that there would be a couple of new entrants who sneaked their way into his top-10 power rankings this week.

But for the opponents against his placement of the Las Vegas Raiders, the seven-time Super Bowl winner said it best: “Just win, baby.”

Appearing on his weekly segment with Fox Sports, Brady defended ...Read more

NEW YORK — Wink Martindale coached with John Harbaugh for a decade in Baltimore, and he has a message for despondent Giants fans in the wake of Jaxson Dart’s season-ending surgery:

“I don’t think it’s time for everybody to put bags on their heads and show up to the stadium that way,” Martindale said, tongue-in-cheek, on the Talkin�...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears third-string quarterback Case Keenum probably has heard himself called “journeyman” a few times as a 15th-year veteran who’s on his eighth team.

“Emergency QB”? Sure, most Sundays.

But “baller”?

“He’s a prolific college quarterback,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday of the former Houston ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams star receiver Puka Nacua remains sidelined because of groin soreness and his status for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos is unclear, coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.

Nacua was not scheduled to participate in a light team jog-through. Asked if he expected Nacua to play against the Broncos, McVay said, "I'm not sure."...Read more

SEATTLE — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Wednesday that comments he made about Broncos coach Sean Payton on the “Graham Bensinger” show were not intended to be made public.

Macdonald also said he called Payton after the clip surfaced to apologize and said Payton “was great.”

In the clip, Macdonald revealed that Payton ...Read more

Former NFL star Antonio Brown struck a plea deal that will spare him from prison time in his attempted-murder case, his attorney said in a statement Wednesday.

Brown, 38, will accept the plea agreement on Sept. 30 before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez. In the statement, attorney Mark Eiglarsh said the deal was offered by ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jaxson Dart’s second NFL season only lasted 76 snaps.

The Giants’ starting quarterback is expected to have season-ending surgery on his left knee after soliciting second opinions on the results of Tuesday’s MRI, per ESPN.

Dart’s ACL is intact, but he suffered damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus when he was hit by Rams edge...Read more

CHICAGO — Standing in the hallway outside the Chicago Cubs clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, a couple of reporters spotted Alex Bregman heading toward the batting cages wearing a batting helmet.

Wait, what?

Wasn’t this the guy who was hit in the face with a foul ball Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati, suffering multiple facial fractures in his ...Read more

Love is the name. Fraud allegedly was his game. And the list of his victims — several of whom said they became romantically involved with him — continues to grow.

Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and his accomplice Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, remain in federal custody after their arrest Aug. 24 in Boise, Idaho, on wire fraud and conspiracy to commit ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — It’s simultaneously hard to believe that Zach Ertz has been gone for five years and easy to forget that his Eagles tenure overlapped with Jalen Hurts’. Time is funny like that, I guess. The question is whether Ertz can still play football. It’s a crucial one for the Eagles.

It’s a decent bet that Ertz can still run and ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — All is not yet lost for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. At this point, stats are inconsequential and the doldrums are just a state of mind.

What the Bucs could really use is a playmaker at safety. A headhunter who terrorizes receivers and puts running backs in their place. The kind of player you’re always looking for on ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Each week of the NFL season can feel like an eternity. When things are going well, the time between game days can serve as an endless stream of excitement. When they aren’t, it can seem like the sky is falling.

It’s not difficult to grasp which reality the Steelers are currently facing. Plenty of folks on the South Side are ...Read more

The San Francisco 49ers made a move on Tuesday to add depth to a receiving corps that has been ravaged by injuries, signing veteran Brandin Cooks to the practice squad, according to ESPN.

Three days shy of turning 33, Cooks has played 12 seasons in the NFL with six teams.

In 10 games with New Orleans and five with Buffalo last season, he ...Read more