SEATTLE — Whenever his name pops up in the news, you can feel Seattle’s eyebrow rise a solid centimeter.

Maybe it’s about him being Aaron Rodgers’ top new target. Maybe it’s about him squashing a rivalry with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, another new teammate. Maybe it’s just about a fresh start on a new team in a new conference on a new...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A year ago, Xavier Worthy’s introduction to the NFL came while wearing shorts and a jersey top, a spectator’s fit as he stood next to a coach watching the Chiefs’ offense begin preparation for the season.

Mental reps, he called those.

A year earlier, Rashee Rice popped out of a summer camp huddle and hurried to the ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys knew why KaVontae Turpin was a bargain when they signed him as an undrafted free agent, because he comes attached with an invisible alarm clock that you can neither hear nor see.

You just know it’s there. That alarm went off, but do not expect the Cowboys to do much about this other than hit “snooze....Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders’ offense is expected to be improved under new coach Pete Carroll and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

But how will it compare to their opponents?

Here’s a ranking of the offenses the Raiders will face this year and how they stack up.

1. Commanders

Week 3

— Comment: The Commanders have two big things ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The debate over whether NFL contracts should be fully guaranteed has been thrust back into the news cycle thanks to the procurement of a fascinating legal document last week.

There’s not an easy solution to the dilemma of guaranteed contracts in the NFL, but we’ll get to that. There is a lot to unpack with the latest ...Read more

Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler stands on the threshold of something this franchise hasn’t seen since 2007.

Sieler, who has back-to-back 10-sack seasons, could record a third consecutive double-digit sack season, matching the streak established by Hall of Famer Jason Taylor from 2005-07.

But first, Sieler has to work out details of a ...Read more

ATLANTA — The NFL is a quarterback league.

If a team doesn’t have a good one, they tend to stay on the merry-go-round of mediocrity.

The teams of the NFC South have had trouble replacing their franchise quarterbacks. All, except Tampa Bay. The fans in other division cities are remembering the days of Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders have high hopes under coach Pete Carroll, who has a distinguished track record of turning around losing programs in short order.

Can the Raiders expect similar results in his first season in Las Vegas?

A look at Carroll’s first season in his previous four head coaching stops:

New York Jets, 1994

Record: 6-10

...Read more

MIAMI — Like most NFL teams, the Miami Dolphins roster is filled with a few haves, and dozens of have nots.

Only 24 players on the Dolphins’ 90-player training camp roster earn more than $2 million a season. But the most troubling part of a payroll examination of the team General Manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel have built ...Read more

DENVER — As his surgeon reached for his drawer to pull out a reflex hammer, P.J. Locke sat on a doctor’s office in mid-February, visibly nervous.

“Your favorite test,” Dr. Chad Prusmack, a neurological consultant for the Broncos, told Locke. “Relax.”

He tapped Locke’s left leg. He tapped Locke’s right leg. They twitched. ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers have extended the contract of general manager Omar Khan three weeks before the start of training camp, locking him in with a new three-year deal.

Khan originally signed a four-year contract in the summer of 2022 when he was hired to take over for longtime GM Kevin Colbert following that year’s draft. His extension ...Read more

MIAMI — Forget about talent being the driving force for employment.

The NFL — if not all of professional sports — is much like the real world. It’s about who you know, and who vouches for you. Not what you know, or how hard you work.

It certainly helps to have talent, but connections are just as important, if not more.

The Miami ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — No need for judges. The Steelers won by knockout when they sent fading free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for defensive back Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.

A straight-up, Minkah-for-Ramsey deal would have favored the Steelers, let alone one where they got an 88-catch, eight-touchdown tight end thrown in...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s probably the one question you’ve thought about more than any other during this Carolina Panthers offseason.

It’s the one that unlocks every other possibility. If you answer it in the affirmative, you can then move on to wondering about the carry distribution in the backfield, or the depth among the inside ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’re a KC sports fan who believes in karma, I may have an explanation for why things went so spectacularly wrong for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

It’s actor Brad Pitt’s fault.

It’s because of what Pitt did to a high-profile Eagles fan ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

The Chiefs had defeated the Eagles a year ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A former University of Kentucky student has filed a civil lawsuit against former UK football player and 2025 Buffalo Bills first-round NFL draft pick Maxwell Hairston alleging he sexually assaulted her in a UK dorm room in 2021.

The student alleges “the emotional and psychological harm she sustained made it impossible for ...Read more

MIAMI — The Dolphins and Steelers’ Monday trade splashed across the front of ESPN’s website with one of those red-banner ‘breaking news’ alerts. That was partly because Jalen Ramsey for Minkah Fitzpatrick marked the NFL’s first swap in 21 years in which two players changing uniform had each been named an All-Pro at his position.

...Read more

The Miami Dolphins swiftly answered the question of who will be their next pass-catching tight end to fill the void left behind from trading Jonnu Smith.

In a next-day deal, the Dolphins traded with the New York Giants on Tuesday for retired tight end Darren Waller, who will return to the league to play in Miami.

According to multiple sources,...Read more

DENVER — The Broncos couldn’t have asked for a better time for their best defensive players to step up.

With a playoff berth in the balance on the road in late December against a high-powered Cincinnati offense, Zach Allen tormented quarterback Joe Burrow to the tune of 3.5 sacks and eight pressures. He was in on sacking Burrow on five ...Read more