CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are looking to piece together legislation in Illinois that might pass the General Assembly in Springfield, Ill., Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday, as the team continues to weigh whether to stay or move across the border to Indiana.

Pritzker said his office has been a player in the ongoing Illinois negotiations with ...Read more

Former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been informed by the NFL that the league will not hold a supplemental draft prior to the 2026 season.

The news came days after Sorsby dropped a lawsuit against the NCAA which had resulted in an injunction that would have allowed him to play for the Red Raiders this season despite a permanent ban ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Bass paced the room slowly with his eyes fixed on the floor. He had the look of someone deep in thought. A band rehearsed next to him, but Bass kept pacing, kept reflecting.

As a younger man, he spent his workdays trying to prevent Randy Moss and Cris Carter from catching passes. Every practice presented a test of his ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One August entering his final season at Mizzou in 2010, Aldon Smith reflected on the early journey that would soon lead him to becoming the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, reaching 30 career sacks faster than any player in NFL history … and, alas, a shattering aftermath.

With a touching vulnerability he was ...Read more

DENVER — From first in the AFC to third in the AFC West, the lack of respect for the Denver Broncos remains enormous.

Take a peek at any sportsbook, and the Broncos’ over-under for victories floats around 9.5 games, which would leave them trailing the Los Angeles Chargers (understandable) and Kansas City Chiefs (unbelievable).

The lack of ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Former Ravens assistant coach Marvin Lewis has been in the same position as current defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Lewis became a hot commodity shortly before he turned the Ravens’ defense into one of the greatest ever in 2001, as Baltimore won Super Bowl XXXV. Shortly thereafter, he was interviewed by four teams for head...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys players, and coaches, all love the changes recently made to AT&T Stadium, and come August, the name will go back to its original, the grass will be replaced by a synthetic, and expect the tint in the windows to be removed, too.

The changes made to AT&T Stadium to accommodate FIFA for its precious World ...Read more

Could the Seahawks have interest in controversial Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who it was revealed Monday will be available to NFL teams via a supplemental draft later this summer?

The first thought, of course, is that the Seahawks don’t have the need with 29-year-old Sam Darnold set as the starter for years to come, and Drew Lock ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — To Baker Mayfield, the victories were fleeting. It’s the losses he has carried with him into the huddle this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 6-2 start dissolved into a 2-7 finish that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Mayfield’s collapse, meanwhile, mirrored his team’s. One of the leading ...Read more

DENVER — Snow more excuses, Broncos Country.

Chad Muma bleeds orange and blue. Yet he said that his New England Patriots still would’ve beaten the Broncos in the AFC Championship at Empower Field, even if Bo Nix had played quarterback for Denver that frigid day.

“Everyone is always playing the what-ifs,” the New England linebacker told...Read more

DENVER — Jonathon Cooper is nowhere near the Denver Broncos as the team practices this week during its three-day minicamp.

Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos have excused Cooper after the outside linebacker’s second arrest last Thursday on multiple charges that he violated a protection order after his initial arrest on June 4 following...Read more

The family of former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Aldon Smith intends to have his brain studied by CTE experts, according to family statement released Tuesday.

Smith died Saturday at San Jose’s Good Samaritan Hospital after a medical emergency in Los Gatos, Calif. No cause has been given by the Santa Clara Medical Examiner’s Office...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was released from Dallas County Jail on Tuesday after serving a 30-day sentence for violating terms of probation stemming from his involvement in a six-vehicle crash on March 30, 2024.

Rice violated probation after testing positive for THC. While serving the sentence, Rice missed...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When I watched Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis at minicamp and organized team activities one thought came to mind: I sure hope he’s in the right system, meaning a team that has a strong defense and emphasizes defense as much as offense.

I’ve been assured publicly and privately that that’s the case, that ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — As the Minnesota Vikings end their Organized Team Activities — in the old days, we called these “practices” — the Wilfs seem to be continuing their reign as the most popular sports owners in Minnesota.

Which prompts a question.

Why?

I give them credit for running a humane organization. There have, are and will be worse...Read more

AURORA, Colo. — As the man of the people exited center stage, a fan leaned down from the guardrails at Aurora Public Schools Stadium to holler at J.K. Dobbins. He begged for a picture. Dobbins, of course, obliged. And the Denver Broncos running back got sucked into a pep talk he accepted but didn’t really need.

“Hey, GTD,” the fan told ...Read more

CHICAGO — The offseason program is in the books. The Chicago Bears wrapped up minicamp Thursday and sent the players home until training camp begins in late July.

Coach Ben Johnson was proud of the work his team put in this spring, both in the weight room and on the practice field. Johnson has projected the same no-nonsense approach in Year 2...Read more

DENVER — The same day Davis Webb talked for the first time about his new gig with the Denver Broncos, his next one floated around the conversation.

What will that be for Denver’s (relatively) newly-minted offensive coordinator and play-caller was, of course, impossible to say from a sunny June practice field at Broncos Park, but if this new...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — OK, here’s a hypothetical scenario.

It’s Week 5 of the Philadelphia Eagles’ season. They’re 2-2, but their record is not the concerning thing, not really. They have lost their most recent game, at home to the Los Angeles Rams, but that loss, in and of itself, is not the concerning thing, not really. The Rams are favored...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — The national narrative sounds silly now.

When Sam Darnold descended on Seattle last offseason, he did so with a cloud of caveats hanging over his head.

He can’t win the big one. He can’t be “the guy.” He can’t beat pressure, literal or metaphorical. He can’t succeed outside of Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’...Read more