DENVER — Like the Grinch at Christmas, Sean Payton’s heart grew three sizes Monday.

“I would tell you, knowing him as long as I’ve known him, he really believes it more than he’s saying it,” Curtis Johnson told me Monday by phone after the Broncos wrapped up a shorts/shells practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.

“...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Sorry Kyle, but this is for the best.

You’re a sharp guy, so you probably understand that. When a Super Bowl is visible in distant headlights, no team wants to pull out of the driveway without first purchasing a proven insurance policy at quarterback.

That’s all Teddy Bridgewater is. He’s not a savior. He’s not a long-...Read more

DENVER — The road to a Super Bowl has to start at 17th and Stadium Circle.

“You want that home game in January, where people have to come to Mile High,” Former Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey told me by phone Tuesday. “It gives you an advantage. That’s what they need to focus on.”

Bailey’s done the map in his head a million times...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — At about 9:20 a.m. Monday, Mucha Nama drove his Eagles-themed minivan into the parking lot adjacent to the NovaCare Complex. His little brother, Siino, was in the front seat.

They got some curious looks, which Siino and Mucha are used to at this point. Mucha has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2016, but his car doesn’t ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers are reuniting with a former franchise star to bolster their receivers unit.

Keenan Allen, who racked up more than 10,000 receiving yards during an 11-season stint with the Chargers before being traded away in a salary-cap move, agreed to a deal with the team Tuesday.

The one-year deal is worth $8..52 million, ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Pete Carroll’s first game as the Raiders’ coach will be in familiar territory.

The Raiders open the preseason Thursday in Seattle, a place Carroll called home for 14 years and won a Super Bowl.

He tried to downplay his trip back to the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday and the significance of his first game with the Raiders at ...Read more

MIAMI — The Dallas Cowboys’ best player, defensive end Micah Parsons, is upset to the point of asking for a trade, and this seems just fine with Jerry Jones, the NFL and all of professional sports’ most famous and in some ways infamous team owner.

“I’m not losing any sleep over it,” Jones said of Parsons’ dissatisfaction.

We have...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Although the Steelers offense had one of its better practices of training camp Tuesday, the defense has still been fairly far ahead, much like pitchers compared to hitters at this stage in a baseball season.

But what if the pitching is just … good?

T.J. Watt first drew a baseball parallel when talking about his speed game ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The NFL has reached a deal to take a 10% ownership stake in the Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN, the league and Disney announced Tuesday evening, a move that is expected to solidify the sports media outlet's relationship with the league for years to come.

In return for the equity stake valued at more than $2 billion based on recent ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Imagine moving cross-country to start a new job in a highly competitive field, and in an unfamiliar city – L.A., specifically. And we love L.A., of course, but besides that, picture coming originally from Provo, Utah, and feeling right at home here, even though you happen to be here auditioning for a role without much looking ...Read more

NEW YORK — In recent seasons, several starters haven’t played in preseason games.

But days before their preseason opener against the Packers, quarterback Justin Fields believes the Jets' starters need to see some action during the team’s three exhibition games this month.

“I think we at least need to see the field each and every game,�...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison is suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2025 regular season for a violation of the league’s substances of abuse policy, the NFL announced Tuesday.

Addison pleaded no contest in July to a lesser charge of wet reckless driving stemming from a July 2024 drunken driving arrest...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Teddy Bridgewater was nearly a Buccaneer not once, but twice.

Tampa Bay brought him in for a top-30 visit before the 2014 NFL draft, strongly considering the Louisville star as their quarterback of the future. Then in 2020, he was once again on their radar, until the Bucs pulled off a franchise-altering coup by signing Tom Brady...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kyren Williams will carry the ball for the Rams this season and beyond.

On Tuesday, the Rams and the fourth-year pro agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person requested anonymity because the deal has not been signed.

The extension includes about $23 million in ...Read more

MIAMI — Nobody is coming to rescue the Miami Dolphins’ secondary.

There is no major trade on the horizon that will boost the Dolphins defense, which lost — or dumped — all its secondary starters from the previous season.

Outside of maybe adding a veteran or claiming a player at the end of training camp when teams trim their roster to ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — When you’re drafted in the second round out of a powerhouse like Alabama, expectations aren’t just high, they’re immediate.

But for Chris Braswell, Year 1 in the NFL was more humbling than headline-making. Swallowed up in a limited role, Braswell managed just 1.5 sacks and faded into the background of a defense looking for...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles are increasing their options at cornerback, acquiring Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker on Monday night, a league source confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pending a physical, Bennett will become the newest member of the Eagles’ secondary that is seeking...Read more

NEW YORK — Don’t expect to see Deion Sanders at Cleveland Browns training camp.

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains low on the Browns’ depth chart and told his famous father not to come watch him at a practice this summer.

“I don’t want him coming to see me right now, because I want to get to where I want to go, then for him ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium, coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday.

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has not played since the Vikings’ preseason opener one year ago, when McCarthy suffered the torn meniscus in ...Read more