NFL running backs in new places could struggle to match the production they had with original teams - NFL (2024)

The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 3:21 pm | Story: 493605

DETROIT (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders says he “experienced a health scare related to my heart” last weekend.

“It was unexpected and served as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about our physical well-being, even when we are feeling fine,” the former Detroit Lions great said in a statement posted Friday on social media.

The Lions issued their own social media post saying, “Get well soon Barry.”

“I am grateful for the amazing doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals for providing me with needed care,” Sanders said. “My family and I are thankful for your prayers and support during this time. Per my doctors’ recommendation, I am taking this opportunity to prioritize my health and well-being. I appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

Sanders, who turns 56 next month, was a six-time All-Pro while starring for the Lions from 1989-98 before his sudden retirement. He rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns in his career, including 2,053 yards in his MVP season of 1997.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sanders spent his entire career with the Lions, who selected him with the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft after his Heisman Trophy-winning season with Oklahoma State.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 4:46 pm | Story: 493444

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have signed first-round pick Ricky Pearsall to a four-year contract worth a fully guaranteed $12.5 million.

The deal announced Thursday means all eight players from San Francisco's draft class are now under contract well before the start of training camp.

The Niners took Pearsall 31st overall in April. He had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season at Florida and gives San Francisco a possible option as a slot receiver. Pearsall was known for some highlight-reel catches during his time in college and now is the latest potential playmaker added to a dynamic offense that made it to the Super Bowl last season.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State where he was teammates in 2019 with current Niners receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who held out of San Francisco's offseason program in a contract dispute.

Pearsall had 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 TDs in 55 college games at Florida and Arizona State.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 1:57 pm | Story: 493385

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns cut defensive end Lonnie Phelps on Thursday following his arrest on drunken driving charges after he crashed his SUV into a Florida restaurant.

The team did not address Phelps' legal trouble in its news release but mentioned he spent all of 2023 on the practice squad.

Phelps was charged with DUI and damaging property on Wednesday night after authorities say he drove into an outdoor lounge area at Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West. According to a police report obtained by cleveland.com, he refused to take a breath test.

The report also says Phelps refused to cooperate with officers on the scene.

The building’s owner estimated the damage at $300,000 to cleveland.com.

The 23-year-old Phelps played at Miami (Ohio) before transferring to Kansas. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns in January. Phelps participated in Cleveland's minicamp last week.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 1:26 pm | Story: 493374

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, one of the most dependable members of New England's offense the past three seasons, has agreed to a four-year contract extension, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The new deal is worth a maximum of $36 million, and includes $17 million in guarantees, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. Stevenson is heading into the final season of his rookie contract.

The new pact makes Stevenson one of the NFL’s top seven highest-paid running backs by guaranteed money. He trails only Alvin Kamara ($33.8 million), Jonathan Taylor ($26.5 million), Saquon Barkley ($26 million), Christian McCaffrey ($24 million), Bijan Robinson, ($21.9 million) and Jahmyr Gibbs ($17.8 million).

The deal locks up another member of the core of New England's offense for the foreseeable future. He joins receiver Kendrick Bourne, tight end Hunter Henry and tackle Mike Onwenu, who all secured new deals this offseason.

Stevenson has rushed for 2,265 yards and 14 touchdowns in three NFL seasons since being selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. His best season was in 2022 when he rushed for 1,040 yards and five TDs. He is coming off a 2023 season in which he finished with 619 rushing yards and four TDs.

The Patriots are hoping he can return to his 2022 form under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and behind a group at offensive line that added former Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace and Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson via the draft this offseason.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 12:08 pm | Story: 493354

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Former Stanford football coach David Shaw is returning to the NFL as a senior personnel executive with the Denver Broncos.

Shaw, who coached the Cardinal from 2011-22, will help evaluate college and pro players and assist general manager George Paton in roster evaluation.

Before coaching at Stanford, where he won three Pac-12 titles, Shaw, 51, was an assistant coach for the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens, and he's been trying to get back into the NFL for a couple of years.

He interviewed for the Chargers' and Titans' head coaching vacancies last winter and also was a candidate for the Broncos job that went to Sean Payton in 2023.

Shaw and Paton kept in contact afterward and they recently started to create a role for Shaw in the personnel department that's similar to the one Gary Kubiak held after stepping down as Broncos head coach at the end of the 2016 season.

Kubiak, however, had an office at team headquarters while Shaw will work mostly from his home in the Bay Area with trips to training camp and a few games.

Shaw has several connections to the Broncos. He and Payton were young offensive assistants together in Philadelphia in 1997. Also, team owners Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner each have degrees from Stanford and limited shareholder Condoleezza Rice is the director of the Hoover Institute at Stanford.

Shaw is the second high-profile addition to the Broncos' personnel department this year, following the hiring of vice president of player personnel Cody Rager, a longtime scout in New Orleans while Payton was head coach of the Saints.

The Broncos, who have churned through 13 starting quarterbacks and a half-dozen head coaches since winning the Super Bowl in 2016, are trying to snap a streak of seven straight losing seasons and a playoff drought of eight years.

After going 8-9 in Payton's first season, they bid farewell to several high-profile veterans, including Justin Simmons, Russell Wilson and Josey Jewell, and they drafted quarterback Bo Nix in the first round.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 9:44 am | Story: 493316

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence insists his new contract, which makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history, won’t create any added pressure.

Lawrence signed the five-year, $275 million contract extension Thursday, a week after agreeing to the deal. It includes $142 million fully guaranteed and a $37.5 million signing bonus.

“Being a starting quarterback in this league is a big responsibility,” Lawrence said. “The team goes as you go, and I know that. That’s a big responsibility, so I’m not going to add any pressure to myself just based on getting this contract. It doesn’t really change what I expect of myself and what the team expects of me."

Lawrence would have signed the deal last week, but it got done hours before a vacation with his wife and in-laws. He and his wife Marissa returned to the stadium Thursday to sign amid little fanfare; coach Doug Pederson and most of his teammates were out of town.

Nonetheless, Lawrence’s deal is the latest move in what could provide long-term stability for the small-market franchise.

Pass rusher Josh Allen signed a five-year, $141 million deal in April that included a $32 million signing bonus, and the Jaguars and the city are on the verge of getting final approval on a $1.4 billion stadium renovation.

Those are significant changes for a team that spent the past 15 years dealing with relocation rumors and had only re-signed two first-round picks — quarterback Blake Bortles and defensive lineman Tyson Alualu — drafted since 2007.

The two sides worked on contract details for months as the quarterback broke ground on a new house in the area.

“We love it here; it's become home,” Lawrence said. “Our families love it. Families love visiting here, and we’ve really settled in. … The way the organization’s going and the direction that we’re heading on the football side, that makes it obviously a no-brainer for us.

“I want to be the quarterback here. I want to bring a championship to Jacksonville. That’s my goal, and I really know that we can accomplish that."

Lawrence will get an average of $55 million annually over the life of the extension, tying him with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow for the most in NFL history. Lawrence is now the sixth QB making more than $50 million a year, and he’s the youngest on the list.

The 24-year-old is 21-31 as a three-year starter, including 1-1 in the playoffs, and has a whopping 60 turnovers — a number he needs to trim to become the player the Jags believe he can be.

The Jaguars point to a 19-game stretch spanning the 2022-23 seasons in which Lawrence was at his best. He threw for 4,713 yards, with 29 TDs and 11 INTs, as Jacksonville went 14-5 during that span. General manager Trent Baalke and Pederson believe it’s a glimpse of what Lawrence can do when healthy and humming.

“I’m excited for the future with Trevor. He’s excited based on the conversations we’ve had since the season,” Pederson said. “I just know that our guy is the right guy. He’s got the right demeanor. He’s got the right leadership. It’s our job as coaches now to make sure he takes that next step.”

Lawrence is coming off an injury-filled season in which he missed the first game of his professional career because of a sprained throwing shoulder and significant practice time because of a sprained left knee, a sprained right ankle and a concussion.

The injury woes played a part in the worst late-season collapse in franchise history. The Jaguars (9-8) dropped five of their final six games and missed the postseason after spending three months atop the AFC South.

Baalke responded by revamping Lawrence’s offensive line and receiving group. He re-signed left guard Ezra Cleveland and added veteran center Mitch Morse in free agency and then drafted a potential future starter with fourth-round pick Javon Foster out of Missouri.

Baalke also replaced receivers Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew with first-round speedster Brian Thomas Jr., former Buffalo starter Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay.

“I think this is definitely the best team that we’ve had here in my eyes just at this point in the year," Lawrence said. “I feel very confident in that. ... We have good people here and that’s important to having success.”

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The Canadian Press - Jun 18, 2024 / 5:07 pm | Story: 493053

The Washington Commanders have settled a lawsuit with Virginia over their handling of season-ticket deposits under previous ownership, the last litigation remaining from that situation a decade ago.

The $1.3 million settlement with Virginia includes returning $600,000 to nearly 500 fans who were affected. The team settled similar suits with Maryland in 2022 and the District of Columbia in 2023.

“Our investigation found that the Commanders’ prior ownership unlawfully retained security deposits for years after they should have been returned to consumers,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said. "I thank the team’s current ownership for cooperating with this investigation, and for working toward rectifying the consumer harm we identified.”

Dan Snyder owned the team at the time. A group led by Josh Harris bought the Commanders last year for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion.

“We are pleased that this settlement has been reached resolving issues that occurred under prior ownership," the Commanders said in a statement.

Along with the $600,000, the team agreed to pay $600,000 in civil penalties and another $100,000 for attorneys fees and other costs involved in the investigation, which launched in 2022.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 18, 2024 / 3:25 pm | Story: 493033

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers against the NFL voiced frustrations Tuesday with the way the plaintiffs' attorneys have handled their side of the case.

Before Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took the stand Tuesday for a second day of testimony, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez said the premise of the case was simple — who wouldn't see the frustration of a Seattle Seahawks fan living in Los Angeles not being able to see their favorite team without buying a subscription for all the Sunday afternoon out-of-market games.

“The way you have tried this case is far from simple,” Gutierrez told attorneys representing the subscribers. “This case has turned into 25 hours of depositions and gobbledygook. ... This case has gone in a direction it shouldn't have gone."

The class-action, which covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons, claims the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of Sunday games aired on CBS and Fox at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.

The NFL maintains it has the right to sell “Sunday Ticket” under its antitrust exemption for broadcasting. The plaintiffs say that only covers over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.

If the NFL is found liable, a jury could award $7 billion in damages, but that number could balloon to $21 billion because antitrust cases can triple damages.

Tuesday was not the first time Gutierrez has expressed frustration with the plaintiffs' side. On Monday, he admonished their attorneys for repeatedly describing past testimony, which he considered a waste of time.

Before Jones resumed his testimony, Gutierrez expressed doubts about plaintiffs' attorneys citing Jerry Jones' lawsuit against the NFL in 1995, which challenged the league's licensing and sponsorship procedures.

“I don't know what you are doing, but marketing is not media,” Gutierrez said.

Later in his testimony, Jones said he sued the NFL because the league sued him. Both sides eventually settled out of court.

Jones' filing against the NFL in 1994 said he supported the league's model for negotiating television contracts and the revenue-sharing agreements in place.

When asked Tuesday if teams should be able to sell their out-of-market television rights, Jones said no because “it would undermine the free TV model we have now.”

Retired CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus also testified, reiterating during his testimony that he was a not fan of “Sunday Ticket” or the NFL's Red Zone channel because he believes it infringes on the exclusivity CBS has in local markets.

CBS and Fox both requested in negotiations that “Sunday Ticket” be sold as a premium package. DirecTV, and not the NFL, set the prices during the class-action period.

The league has language in television contracts with CBS and Fox that the “resale packages (Sunday Ticket) are to be marketed as premium products for avid league fans that satisfy complementary demand to the offering of in-market games.”

There is additional language that prohibits the selling of individual games on a pay-per-view basis.

The NFL received a rights fee from DirecTV for the package from 1994 through 2022. Google's YouTube TV acquired “Sunday Ticket” rights for seven seasons, beginning last year.

Jamie Dyckes, a DirecTV marketing official, said during a deposition that MLB, the NBA and the NHL had a suggested retail price for their out-of-market packages and that there was revenue sharing between the leagues and the carriers, since their packages were distributed on multiple platforms.

Testimony will continue Thursday, with closing statements scheduled early next week. Gutierrez said he would consider invoking a rule where the court can find that a jury does not have sufficient evidence to rule for a party in a case.

“I'm struggling with the plaintiffs' case,” he said.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 18, 2024 / 8:26 am | Story: 492932

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The Canadian Press - Jun 17, 2024 / 2:42 pm | Story: 492829

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins signed his one-year franchise tender for the 2024 season on Monday.

However, his long-term future with the team remains in doubt.

The fifth-year wideout received the franchise tag in February and didn't participate in recent organized team workouts, including last week's three-day minicamp.

Higgins will make $21.8 million — the designated franchise tag value for receivers this upcoming season — and the Bengals will have at least one more season with Ja'Marr Chase and Higgins as one the NFL's top wideout duos, with a healthy Joe Burrow throwing to them.

If the 25-year-old Higgins and the Bengals don't come together on a long-term deal before July 15, he can become a free agent next March and be eligible to sign with any team.

“I’m excited to move forward with Tee,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in a statement. “He’s done a great job handling his situation, and we are happy to get him back in the fold so we can start working toward a great 2024 season. The locker room will be excited to have him back around.”

Since his second season in 2021, Higgins has played in the shadow of Chase, who is expected to get a long-term contract extension in the neighborhood of Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Whenever Cincinnati adds Chase's next contract to the five-year, $275 million extension Burrow signed before the 2023 season, the team is not expected to offer a long-term deal to its No. 2 receiver.

A second-round draft pick in 2020 — Burrow was the top overall pick in that draft — Higgins has 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns, including back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and ’22. He was key part of the Bengals drive to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season.

He finished with 656 yards and five TDs last season while struggling with a rib injury.

Tyler Boyd signed with Tennessee as a free agent in May. And the Bengals are hoping 2024 third-round draft pick Jermaine Burton from Alabama will work his way into the receiver rotation, with promising youngsters Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas also in that mix.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 17, 2024 / 1:32 pm | Story: 492807

LOS ANGELES (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated during testimony in federal court Monday that the league's “Sunday Ticket” package, the subject of a class-action lawsuit, is a premium product while also defending the league's broadcast model.

Goodell was called as a witness by the NFL as the trial for the lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers entered its third week and was on the stand for nearly four hours.

“We have been clear throughout that it is a premium product. Not just on pricing but quality,” Goodell said during cross-examination in a Los Angeles courtroom. “Fans make that choice whether they wanted it or not. I'm sure there were fans who said it was too costly.”

Goodell, who has been commissioner since 2006, said he believes this is the first time he has been called to testify in federal court during his tenure.

The class-action, which covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package from 2011 through 2022, claims the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.

The NFL maintains it has the right to sell “Sunday Ticket” under its antitrust exemption for broadcasting. The plaintiffs say that only covers over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.

If the NFL is found liable, a jury could award $7 billion in damages, but that number could balloon to $21 billion because antitrust cases can triple damages.

During the first two weeks of the trial, exhibits by the plaintiffs showed that Fox and CBS have long been concerned about how competition from a more widely distributed “Sunday Ticket” package could affect ratings for locally aired games.

Former CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said in an memo to the NFL that the network had always thought “the concept has always been that these packages are sold at a premium, thereby limiting distribution.”

Goodell said the NFL decided to put “Sunday Ticket” on DirecTV from 1994 through 2022 because it was one the few platforms available that had national distribution. He cited the fragmented nature of cable companies for why it wasn't available on cable.

Goodell also testified that the league was not happy with DirecTV during the final years of the agreement. AT&T bought the satellite company in 2015, and the league noticed that product innovation and marketing declined after that.

In a Nov. 6, 2018, email debating whether to exercise getting out of the contract after the 2019 season, league executives cited that marketing declined by 28% during the 2018 season.

The league decided, though, to stay with DirecTV for the final three seasons of the deal (2020 through 2022) because streaming had not advanced to the level that the NFL thought it could handle the demand of handling the entire package.

“Streaming was not ready for prime time,” Goodell said.

The league did eventually go streaming for the entire “Sunday Ticket” package, signing a seven-year deal with Google's YouTube TV that began with the 2023 season.

Goodell also said the league's broadcast model, where local games are available over the air for all games, is why NFL games are highly rated.

“We sing it from the mountaintops, We want to reach the broadest possible audience on free television,” he said. “I think we are very pro-consumer. Our partners have found ways to build our fan base.”

Goodell also said that one reason the league decided to sell Thursday night games that had been exclusively on NFL Network from 2006 through 2013 to other networks was because of the quality of production.

Thursday night games were shared by CBS and NBC from 2014 through 2016 before Fox aired them for the next five seasons. Amazon Prime Video took over the package in 2022.

“I had my own opinion that our production was below standards that the networks (Fox and CBS) had set. We had not met that standard,” he said.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a member of the league's media committee, was called to the stand after Goodell. Jones also defended the league's broadcast model, even though if teams could sell their out-of-market rights separately, the Cowboys would be one of the top teams to benefit.

“I am convinced I would make a lot more money than the Bengals,” Jones said. “I'm completely against each team doing TV deals. It is flawed.”

Jones will continue his testimony on Tuesday. McManus is also expected to be called to the stand.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 17, 2024 / 10:08 am | Story: 492762

The AFC North is ready for its closeup.

The division best known for heated rivalries and star quarterbacks will be featured on HBO's “Hard Knocks” TV series this season. It's the first time the Emmy Award-winning series has chronicled an entire division.

Last season, the AFC North's four teams — the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers — all finished with winning records.

With QB s Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow,Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, who was traded from Denver to Pittsburgh in the offseason, there are plenty of storylines in the North along with a reputation for tight, testy games.

“Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North” will debut on Dec. 3 and run through the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

Jackson is coming off a second MVP win, but came up short of a first Super Bowl trip. Burrow played just 10 games last season before undergoing wrist surgery. Watson is entering a make-or-break third season in Cleveland, and Wilson is hoping to restart his career with Justin Fields in his shadow.

The Ravens were the first team featured on the original “Hard Knocks” in 2001. The Bengals' training camp was featured in 2009 and 2013, and the Browns in 2018.

This will be the Steelers' first appearance on the popular show that takes fans deep inside the locker room, huddle and inner workings of NFL teams.

The series has expanded to highlight the league's offseason, training camp, regular season and postseason. The New York Giants' offseason will be the first chronicled, and the Chicago Bears will be featured in training camp as they try to break in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.

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