Sports

/

ArcaMax

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images North America/TNS

Rams agree on deal with Jimmy Garoppolo to be backup quarterback

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — The Rams found their backup Friday for star quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Jimmy Garoppolo, cut this week by the Las Vegas Raiders, agreed to terms with the Rams, people with knowledge of the situation said. The people requested anonymity because a contract has not been signed.

Garoppolo, 32, gives the Rams a veteran who has ...Read more

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America/TNS

Cowboys release LB Leighton Vander Esch, WR Michael Gallup

Sports / Football /

The Dallas Cowboys waited as long as they could before doing the inevitable with linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and receiver Michael Gallup.

Both were informed of their release on Friday.

Their departures were expected since the end of the 2023 season.

Vander Esch, who is expected to retire, was released with a failed physical designation. ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

What's the impact of the Keenan Allen trade on the Bears' draft plans? Options and intrigue abound for GM Ryan Poles.

Sports / Football /

CHICAGO — Ryan Poles’ collection of draft picks has dwindled, but intrigue surrounding what the Chicago Bears general manager will do with the ninth selection only increased after he added six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen.

The Bears agreed Thursday night to trade their fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for Allen, a ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Rams superstar Aaron Donald announces he'll retire

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald, one of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history, announced his retirement Friday.

Donald, who will turn 33 in May, is a three-time NFL defensive player of the year. He amassed 111 sacks in 10 seasons for the Rams after they selected him 13th in the 2014 draft.

"Cheers to what's next," Donald wrote in a post ...Read more

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America/TNS

Steelers trading QB Kenny Pickett to Eagles, ending an up-and-down tenure for the 1st-round pick

Sports / Football /

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are trading quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, a sudden and surprising end in the city for the former Pitt quarterback, sources have told the Post-Gazette.

In return, the Steelers will move up 22 spots into the third round of this year’s draft — from No. 120 to 98 overall — and get a seventh-...Read more

Carlos Gonzalez/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

The Vikings acquired the No. 23 pick in a trade. What will they do next?

Sports / Football /

MINNEAPOLIS — If the Vikings are planning to make an aggressive move to the top of the first round for their next quarterback, they acquired more ammunition to do it on Friday.

They received the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft from Houston, in exchange for picks Nos. 42, 188 and the Vikings' second-rounder in 2025. Minnesota also ...Read more

Bill Plaschke: Retiring Aaron Donald didn't just lead the Rams, he was the Rams

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — For years he had remained hidden, lost underneath a giant helmet, buried in a defensive line.

He was a star who behaved like a stunt man, doing the dirty work, punishing his body, disappearing into the scrum.

He was the most important Ram that nobody knew, the greatest player that nobody saw, the biggest force with the fewest ...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

49ers agree to deal with former All-Pro linebacker De'Vondre Campbell

Sports / Football /

The 49ers have their insurance policy for the recovery of linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

De’Vondre Campbell, an All-Pro as recently as 2021 for the Green Bay Packers, has agreed to terms with the 49ers on a one-year contract.

Campbell, 30, was released Wednesday by the Packers before a roster bonus of $2.97 million came due. He signed a five-year ...Read more

Brian Bahr/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mac Engel: A man far ahead of his time: Ricky Williams 'got it' on mental health and marijuana

Sports / Football /

FORT WORTH, Texas — It is a coincidence, but maybe not, that Ricky Williams lives in a place called Grass Valley.

That sounds like it’s preordained.

The former University of Texas and longtime NFL running back looks and sounds like he is in a good place with his family in California. He’s 46, and doing his thing.

He retired from one of ...Read more

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images North America/TNS

49ers' Maliek Collins prepared for the challenge of replacing Arik Armstead

Sports / Football /

With longtime defensive tackle Arik Armstead on his way to Jacksonville, the man who will assume his role for the 49ers in 2024 is only looking to be himself.

“I don’t think you replace a person like Arik Armstead, the person he is in the community, the person he is on the field,” Maliek Collins told local reporters Thursday on a ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Chargers trade Keenan Allen to Bears for fourth-round pick

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers traded their longest-tenured player Thursday night, moving Keenan Allen to Chicago in exchange for a fourth-round pick.

Trying to free salary-cap space, the team approached the wide receiver about taking a pay cut, according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Saquon Barkley admits he didn't say 'proper goodbye' to Giants fans in first Eagles press conference

Sports / Football /

Saquon Barkley said in his first Philadelphia Eagles press conference that he could have handled his New York exit better.

“The Giants fans that were hurt by me leaving, I’ve got nothing but love and respect for all those guys and all those ladies and the fans,” Barkley, 27, said Thursday afternoon. “For the last six years they’ve ...Read more

Kirk Cousins eager to start building continuity with his new Falcons teammates

Sports / Football /

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has been on a mission to meet his new teammates.

Tight end Kyle Pitts was the first one to reach out. Cousins has had calls with left tackle Jake Matthews, the team chaplain, director of player personnel Ryan Pace, right tackle Kaleb McGary and wide receiver Drake London.

“I said (to ...Read more

Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin is glad Tampa Bay fit him to a tee

Sports / Football /

TAMPA, Fla. — Nobody is happier about setting his plant foot in Tampa Bay than Chase McLaughlin.

The nomadic place-kicker has made 11 stops in the NFL since 2019. But after setting a club record by making 93.5% of his field-goal attempts last season, going 29 of 31, McLaughlin was given a three-year, $12.3 million contract rather than test ...Read more

Kenneth K. Lam/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Chris Perkins: Dolphins have legit No. 3 receiver in Jonnu Smith ... if they throw him the ball

Sports / Football /

Just throw him the darn ball.

Please, throw him the ball.

I like the Dolphins’ acquisition of tight end Jonnu Smith on one condition — the Dolphins must get him the ball.

Are you picking up on a theme here?

Top Videos - Analyzing Miami Dolphins' Offseason: Challenges Ahead

Acquiring Smith, a mid-level receiving tight end who had 50 ...Read more

Jeff Dean/Getty Images North America/TNS

Why Kansas City Chiefs' newest signing -- Irv Smith Jr. -- says KC was his 'best fit'

Sports / Football /

Free agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. said quite a few draws led him to sign a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Playing alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. Getting to be coached by Andy Reid.

And also being able to join a team that’s had plenty of recent success.

“The culture that they’ve built here,...Read more

Lions signing massive, run-stuffing defensive tackle D.J. Reader

Sports / Football /

D.J. Reader's visit with the Detroit Lions has turned into a signing. The veteran defensive tackle came to terms on a two-year contract with the team Thursday afternoon.

A league source familiar with the negotiations confirmed the agreement to The Detroit News.

According to Bleacher Report, the deal could be worth up to $27 million. The NFL ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Joey Bosa reworks contract as Chargers secure star pass rushers; TE Hayden Hurst added

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers are retaining Joey Bosa after the veteran edge rusher agreed to rework his contract for salary-cap purposes.

Also Thursday, free-agent tight end Hayden Hurst indicated on social media that he would be signing with the Chargers.

Bosa's future was uncertain because the team began this week more than $25 million over ...Read more

David Murphy: If the Eagles are serious about a trade for Justin Fields, it's time for the QB factory to close up shop

Sports / Football /

PHILADELPHIA — The argument against Justin Fields is simple.

He isn’t good. In fact, he isn’t anywhere close to being good. All of the experts who insist otherwise do not know what they are talking about. They either do not know what they are looking at or fall victim to some sort of motivated reasoning. The same people who are telling ...Read more

Sarah Stier/Getty Images North America/TNS

The NFL is investigating the Eagles for tampering with Saquon Barkley

Sports / Football /

PHILADELPHIA — The NFL is looking into the Eagles’ negotiation process with Saquon Barkley for potential tampering, a league source confirmed Thursday.

The subject of the investigation involves whether Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had contact with the star running back during the league’s negotiation window earlier this week, ...Read more