NFL

4:47 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes recalled thinking he would be ready for whatever the opposing defense threw his way during his first season opener as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ starting quarterback in 2018. “At the time I felt very prepared but looking back on it I feel like I wasn’t prepared

2:25 PM ET Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN MIAMI — Twin brothers Devin and Jason McCourty were named captains for the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, respectively. The brothers will face each other Sunday in the teams’ season opener. Devin entered the league in 2010 as the Patriots’ first-round pick and has spent his entire career with

1:51 PM ET ESPN News Services The Minnesota Vikings signed Brian O’Neill to a multiyear extension that will make him the NFL’s second-highest-paid right tackle, the team announced Wednesday. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the five-year extension is worth $92.5 million — of which $49 million is guaranteed — and runs through the

1:33 PM ET The NFL’s high COVID-19 vaccination rates provides a “unique opportunity” to model a way out of the ongoing pandemic for the entire country, NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said Wednesday in an interview with ESPN. “We know we are going to have positive cases this season,” Sills said a day

11:21 AM ET PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger sent a clear message to the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ brass Wednesday morning: Pay T.J. Watt, and pay him now. “I think T.J. should get whatever the heck he wants,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s arguably the best football player in the game right now, not just on defense, just in general.

11:26 AM ET The New Orleans Saints are finally making the splash move at cornerback that they have been hinting at all offseason, as they are in the process of trading for Houston Texans veteran Bradley Roby, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. Terms of the deal, which was first reported by NFL Network,

8:44 AM ET Superstar quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers are the favorites to win the NFL regular-season MVP award, but Josh Allen is receiving the most support from bettors at sportsbooks around the nation. Allen, the Buffalo Bills‘ fourth-year quarterback, has attracted more bets to win the Associated Press MVP award than any other

7:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If recent history holds true to form, the free-spending 2021 New England Patriots should receive a bump from their seven victories earned last season. The bigger challenge will be sustaining that beyond this year. Consider that from 2016 to 2020, the team that spent the most guaranteed money in

5:46 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb was briefly detained in Douglas County (Colorado) Tuesday due to an outstanding warrant issued for a failure to appear in court for traffic violations. Chubb was charged on May 6 in Arapahoe County — which is where the Broncos’ practice facility is located and

9:05 PM ET Associated Press The NFL Players Association wants daily COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated players. The league and the union agreed last week to update protocols so vaccinated players would be tested weekly instead of every 14 days as they were during training camp. That’s not enough, according to NFLPA president and Cleveland

6:56 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens signed three-time Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell to their practice squad Tuesday to help their injury-filled backfield, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bell, 29, will likely soon get elevated to the 53-man roster, the source added. The addition of Bell comes after the

5:39 PM ET The New Orleans Saints have released veteran running back Latavius Murray, the team announced Tuesday. The Saints on Monday asked Murray to take a reduction in pay and he refused, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Murray, 31, was due to make $3.15 million in salary and bonuses this season. That, combined with

5:19 PM ET ESPN News Services Clinton Portis was among three former NFL players who have pleaded guilty for their roles in a nationwide scheme to defraud a healthcare program for retired NFL players, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. The 40-year-old Portis, a former running back who was drafted by the Broncos in 2002

3:54 PM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rookie Mac Jones commented publicly for the first time since being named the New England Patriots‘ starting quarterback, saying he plans to remain in contact with Cam Newton and wasn’t surprised he won the job. “He was a really good mentor to me,” Jones said on sports radio WEEI’s

12:35 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN The Seattle Seahawks and left tackle Duane Brown have agreed to a reworked final year of his deal that pays a $7 million signing bonus and $4 million in salary, sources told ESPN. Brown was scheduled to make $10 million in base salary this season with another $1 million available

1:23 PM ET PITTSBURGH — For the first time this season, Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt is expected to fully participate in practice. And, though the Steelers haven’t yet finalized a deal with the All-Pro linebacker, coach Mike Tomlin is “optimistic” one will get done. Tomlin said he anticipates Watt being a full participant beginning

10:45 AM ET What could be the most-heavily-bet NFL season ever kicks off this week with legal sportsbooks operating in approximately half the states in the United States. According to survey results released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association, 45.2 million Americans are expected to bet on the NFL this season, a 36% increase compared

7:00 AM ET ESPN Stats & Information In order to identify dominant NFL seasons, the context of era is necessary. A quarterback compiling a 6,000-yard season in 2021 would break the single-season passing record, but it still might not end up the most dominant passing season of all time relative to that player’s peers. 2