LOS ANGELES — NFL careers typically do not last long.

For most players, getting to a second contract is challenging. And careers that extend well beyond that milestone are uncommon in a business that churns through talent.

So when Ahkello Witherspoon began his career in 2017, he could not envision that he would be preparing for his ninth ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shannon Sharpe will not be returning to ESPN, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to publicly discuss it.

The development comes weeks after the former NFL star settled a $50 million lawsuit that accused him of rape. Attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm represented the woman who filed the civil...Read more

BALTIMORE — Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot Tuesday, an NFL source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday. He will have surgery this week.

Likely is expected to be out about six weeks, though it’s possible he could return in time for Baltimore’s season opener...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — This is the time of year in the NFL where everyone is supposed to feel uncomfortable.

It’s the second week of training camp for the Detroit Lions, and if you thought the sweat pouring out of veteran center Graham Glasgow’s gloves after Tuesday’s practice was a telltale sign, think again.

“Today wasn’t even that ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Everyone comes with a story. Mike Hilton is 30 and without a job until the Miami Dolphins signed him Sunday. Jack Jones signed then, too, for his third team in four years.

Storm Duck did some good work as an undrafted rookie last season. Cam Smith is the second-round pick who two defensive coordinators haven’t played. ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — In his seven seasons as an NFL coordinator, Arthur Smith has had just one year in which he started training camp with an incumbent quarterback. This year is no different.

But he has never had a quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers.

"It's impressive to watch him live," Smith said. "And it's unique."

After just one week at Saint ...Read more

CHICAGO — The team impressed Monday at Halas Hall as it ran through all of its drills in succession.

No, not Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, but the military personnel who participated afterward in USAA’s Salute to Service Boot Camp in the Walter Payton Center.

Members of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps ran drills similar to ...Read more

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons might lack a key weapon when they start the season.

Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney suffered a shoulder injury last week during practice that will cause him to miss a few weeks. The team is hopeful he’ll be ready to play Week 1, but coach Raheem Morris sounded unsure when addressing the topic Tuesday.

“...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Any lingering doubts about whether the Christian Wilkins situation had reached a point where the Raiders had no choice but to release him were erased in a two-minute clip from “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday when an NFL insider casually dropped a report of an unwanted “playful” kiss in the locker room.

And then things got ...Read more

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The longest, hottest and most demanding practice of Chiefs training camp was perhaps best embodied by the player who doesn’t often come to the interview area drenched in sweat.

But there was kicker Harrison Butker, dripping like a faucet.

“If I’m tired and sweaty,” he said, “you know the rest of the team is.”

...Read more

BALTIMORE — It’s not even August, but Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is already being honored for his play. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is one of seven NFL players to earn a 99 rating in Madden 26.

“This is crazy,” an excited Jackson said in a social media video. Wide receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman broke the news ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eclipsed and in certain ways rendered irrelevant by the clobbering the Chiefs absorbed in the Super Bowl, you may recall, was something that until then had defined last season.

En route to becoming the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls and return for a chance at the trifecta, the Chiefs somehow ...Read more

MIAMI — No matter how talented a player might be, his employment in the NFL isn’t guaranteed because playing professional football is a privilege, not a right.

There’s usually a moment when the NFL will send a troubled player that exact message.

New Miami Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones received it this summer when the league closed its ...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — Money, cowbell, Bobo. All things people want more of.

Seahawks fans have made it abundantly clear about the third one.

Jake Bobo may not be the most athletic receiver in the NFL. His stat sheet never shines like some of the league’s elite pass-catchers. But there’s something about an undrafted, out-of-nowhere impact ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Vegas consensus is that the Vikings will win 8.5 games in 2025. I think they’ll get the .5 for beating 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers in a large pub in Dublin, but that’s just a guess.

Many Vegas sites that set the Vikings’ win total at 8.5 also predict they will fail to reach it.

The consensus of well-known NFL analysts ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As Davante Adams began his first Rams training camp, star receiver Puka Nacua tried to be cool, calm and collected.

Nacua, a third-year pro, was eager to put aside his seniority with the Rams. The ascending star wanted to step back and allow Adams — a three-time All-Pro — to lead the way and go first in receiver drills.

But...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The stunning release of Christian Wilkins by the Raiders last week took another bizarre turn Monday when it was revealed that Wilkins was involved in an incident with a teammate in the days leading up to his release.

Wilkins attempted to kiss a teammate in a meeting room at the Raiders’ facility, according to people with ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — After drafting Kaleb Johnson and signing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency, the Steelers have released running back Cordarrelle Patterson, a former Pro Bowl kick returner.

Patterson announced his own release on social media platform X, noting it happened on his day off.

Patterson, 34, was signed last season in free agency — his ...Read more

DENVER — Sean Payton wasn’t kidding.

Just about an hour after he said the Broncos and top receiver Courtland Sutton were “real close” to a contact extension, the deal is done.

The sides agreed Monday to a four-year extension worth $92 million, multiple sources confirmed to The Denver Post.

The deal tacks four years onto the final year...Read more