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Paul Zeise: NFL preseason games are the biggest money grabs in sports

Sports / Football /

PITTSBURGH — Let's recap what happened this week regarding the Steelers and see if we can come to an understanding of why anyone in their right mind would buy a ticket to a preseason football game.

The Steelers broke camp, then invited the Buccaneers to come to town a day early for their preseason game so they could have one of these "joint ...Read more

Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jaxson Dart 'can't wait' for home Giants debut vs. Jets at MetLife Stadium

Sports / Football /

NEW YORK — Jaxson Dart injected life into the Giants’ offense on the road last weekend in Buffalo.

Now he’ll get his first opportunity to fire up his new home crowd.

The Giants’ first-round pick will make his MetLife Stadium debut on Saturday night against the visiting Jets in the teams’ second exhibition tune-up on their shared turf...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Dieter Kurtenbach: What's a realistic expectation for the 2025 49ers? No, seriously, Kyle Shanahan is asking.

Sports / Football /

Welcome to NFL expectation season, where everyone makes their predictions for the upcoming campaign, for this, the most volatile team sport in the world.

And perhaps no team in the NFL is more volatile — in both good and bad ways — than the 2025 49ers.

So after a six-win season from hell, what are the 49ers planning on being this year? ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Why Rashawn Slater's absence will pose a massive test for Justin Herbert and Chargers

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers were blindsided in the truest sense.

Eleven days after signing a contract extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman in history, Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater went down in training camp with a knee injury that ended his 2025 season.

It was the latest crushing blow to a franchise with a ...Read more

Andy Cross/The Denver Post/TNS

Troy Renck: Broncos QB Bo Nix has glitch. He thinks too much.

Sports / Football /

DENVER — Bo Nix has a glitch. He thinks too much.

His greatest strength — a quick processor — is mental hardware that causes his athletic software to malfunction.

He is hard on himself. Too hard. He wants to be right on every play, in every drill. In interviews, he provides glimpses of his competitive spirit and unbending expectations. ...Read more

Robin Buckson/The Detroit News/TNS

John Niyo: Lions make a joint statement with Dolphins in town

Sports / Football /

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — They set the tone early, and the Detroit Lions carried it through two full days of joint practices.

And when it was finally over, with Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ offense going four plays and out in a game-ending simulation to cap Thursday’s 90-minute workout, the “tonality,” as Miami coach Mike McDaniel ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Matthew Stafford's back injury continues to be a nuisance for Rams

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — Matthew Stafford didn't participate in the Rams' joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday in Carson, but the team hopes he can take meaningful steps this weekend toward a return from injury.

Stafford, who has missed the entirety of training camp because of an aggravated disc in his back, is scheduled to work out ...Read more

Emily Curiel/Kansas City Star/TNS

Chiefs' Rashee Rice reportedly will be available to play in first month of season

Sports / Football /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From the Chiefs’ perspective, there seems to be little doubt that receiver Rashee Rice will be punished by the NFL for his role in a March 2024 six-car crash on a Dallas freeway.

It’s more a matter of how long that suspension will last.

But any NFL punishment apparently won’t come for at least six weeks. ESPN’s ...Read more

Steph Chambers/Getty Images North America/TNS

Brian Flores' NFL lawsuit can go to trial after court rules against Roger Goodell arbitration

Sports / Football /

NEW YORK — Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores can take his discrimination cases against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans to an open federal court in front of a jury, a federal appeals court reaffirmed Thursday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a March 2023 ruling by U.S. District Judge ...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Paul Sullivan: Can the new face of the next generation of McCaskeys save the Bears?

Sports / Football /

CHICAGO — Some big news out of Halas Hall last week was buried on a day when Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren updated the stadium plans and coach Ben Johnson announced he wouldn’t play Caleb Williams or most other starters in a meaningless preseason opener.

Edward L. McCaskey was named to the seven-...Read more

Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/TNS

Vahe Gregorian: How 'don't judge' motto explains Chiefs coach Andy Reid's success

Sports / Football /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’ve followed the Chiefs in the Andy Reid era, you know that he’s the fourth-winningest coach in NFL history because he’s a unique fusion of his compelling experiences.

He’s both a brilliant tactician and a taskmaster. Equal parts encouraging and exacting. And pragmatic with a playful side — a blend befitting...Read more

Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Ken Sugiura: Falcons' Bijan Robinson's next step to greatness is both boring and telling

Sports / Football /

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — As Bijan Robinson starts his third season in the NFL, his position coach said what any Atlanta Falcons fan should want to hear about the star running back.

Not only does Robinson care about improving, but he is willing to dive into the mundane process of getting better at the small details that few people notice. As ...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Bucs general manager Jason Licht says he regrets drafting Devin White

Sports / Football /

TAMPA, Fla. — Devin White is trying to earn a starting job with the Raiders, his third team since the former No. 5 overall pick left the Bucs following the 2023 season.

In Las Vegas, White is reunited with John Spytek, a key member of Tampa Bay’s front office for nine seasons and now Raiders general manager. Spytek, a former Bucs assistant ...Read more

Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Jalen Hurts huddles with another highly scrutinized QB, Shedeur Sanders, after Eagles-Browns workout

Sports / Football /

PHILADELPHIA — Long after the double air horn sounded to signal the end of joint practice with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, Jalen Hurts remained on the field.

The huddles had broken down. Players had consumed their cups of Rita’s water ice and headed back indoors. But Hurts stood on the far end of one of the practice fields in deep ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

How did the Rams become LA's most valuable sports franchise, soaring past $10 billion?

Sports / Football /

LOS ANGELES — A decade ago, the languishing St. Louis Rams were ranked dead last in the NFL with a franchise valuation of $930 million.

Faced with an unappealing stadium lease and dwindling prospects in St. Louis, the Rams turned their attention westward, toward their Los Angeles roots. Quietly, they acquired two parcels of land at the former...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Brad Biggs: Has Bears left tackle competition become a 4-man battle? Not necessarily -- but it's gray.

Sports / Football /

CHICAGO — Assistant coaches were made available to the media Wednesday for the first time since the Chicago Bears opened training camp, and one thing they said they appreciate about coach Ben Johnson is how there’s a clear distinction for everything being done.

It’s black and white.

Both passing game coordinator Press Taylor and ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Ravens' Lamar Jackson ends trademark battle with Troy Aikman over No. 8

Sports / Football /

BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has withdrawn his challenge to Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman’s trademark use of the No. 8.

In a decision to dismiss the case published Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed that the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player filed to withdraw the challenge Monday after originally ...Read more

Justin Casterline/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jets RB Breece Hall: 'I'm still the same threat that I've always been'

Sports / Football /

NEW YORK — Last week, Breece Hall shook up social media with three cryptic words.

“Time will tell.”

During Wednesday’s press conference, Hall might have expressed what he meant when asked what has changed about the Jets offense for him from last year to this year.

“Nothing really,” Hall said. “I think people try to make a skewed...Read more

David Eulitt/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mike Sielski: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce share a deeper connection than you might think. I hope 'New Heights' explores it.

Sports / Football /

PHILADELPHIA — The first question you have to ask yourself when you’re writing about a deep and unseen connection between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is what to call them after your first reference to them. Are they Swift and Kelce? That would be standard practice at a website or publication such as The Philadelphia Inquirer, a legacy ...Read more

Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. starts scuffle with Titans during joint practice

Sports / Football /

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. touched off a major rumble and then pronounced himself ready for the regular season at the conclusion of joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday.

About midway through the session, Penix tossed a touchdown pass to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III and had words with ...Read more