*NFL*

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Bill Hillgrove retires after 30 years as Steelers' play-by-play voice​

Bill Hillgrove is retiring as the play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers after three decades on the job. The team made the announcement Thursday, although the 83-year-old will continue to be on the mic for the University of Pittsburgh football and men's basketball teams. Hillgrove replaced Jack Fleming as the team's play-by-play voice in 1994 and was there for every major moment for the franchise over the past 30 years, including Super Bowl titles after the 2005 and 2008 seasons.

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broncos to release russell wilson, take $85m dead money hit
Wilson's release will end a disappointing chapter for both sides. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Payton benched him with two games remaining in 2023, a move that in effect marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver.

eagles' jason kelce announces retirement after 13 seasons
A sixth-round draft selection in 2011, Kelce, 36, played his entire 13-year career with the Eagles. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls in 13 seasons and was named first-team All-Pro for the sixth time in 2023 -- proof that he played at an elite level up to his final snap.

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Kelce is the fifth center in NFL history with at least six All-Pro selections. The other four -- Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermontti Dawson and Jim Ringo -- are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

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2024 nfl trade tracker:
Before NFL free agency begins, teams are allowed to apply franchise tags to players from Feb. 20 through Tuesday to give them a sense of what they need to do before the league year starts March 13.

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CB: L'Jarius Sneed, Kansas City
WR: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati
ER: Brian Burns, Carolina

 

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2024 nfl trade tracker:
Before NFL free agency begins, teams are allowed to apply franchise tags to players from Feb. 20 through Tuesday to give them a sense of what they need to do before the league year starts March 13.

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CB: L'Jarius Sneed, Kansas City
Sneed exceeded the Chiefs' hopes for him when they drafted him in the fourth round in 2020. He was a part-time starter as a rookie but has been a full-time starter since.
WR: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati
Higgins led the Bengals in receiving in Super Bowl LVI with four receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He had back-to-back seasons of 74 receptions and more than 1,000 receiving yards before dealing with injuries last year
ER: Brian Burns, Carolina
Burns has been a sack machine since the Panthers made him the No. 16 pick of the 2019 draft out of Florida State. He had 7.5 sacks as a rookie despite starting only five games and a career-high 12.5 in 2022
S: Kyle Dugger, New England
Dugger has played 61 regular-season games (52 starts), and in 2022 became the first Patriots defender since 1970 to score three touchdowns in a season.
S: Antonio Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay
Despite no formal rookie offseason program because of COVID-19, Winfield played an integral part in the Bucs' Super Bowl LV win as a rookie.
CB: Laylon Johnson, Chicago
Johnson had his best season in a contract year as he was named second-team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors.
LB: Josh Allen, Jacksonville
Allen, whom the Jaguars selected No. 7 overall in 2019, is coming off his best season yet -- with a single-season franchise-record 17.5 sacks that ranked second in the NFL
DT: Justin Madubuike, Baltimore
Madubuike's 13 sacks last season were a career high and ranked ninth. His streak of 11 straight games with at least a half-sack last season is tied for the longest in a single-season.

 

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colts' place franchise tag on reiceiver michael pittman jr.
The Colts on Tuesday placed their franchise tag on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who set career highs with 109 receptions for 1,152 yards this past season. It is the first time the Colts have used the franchise tag since 2013, when they used it on punter Pat McAfee.

bears place franchise tag on cornerback jaylon johnson
Johnson, who turns 25 on April 19, was named second-team All-Pro and earned Pro Bowl honors in his fourth season where he produced a career-high 4 interceptions (including a pick-six), 10 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 36 tackles.

 

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sources: texans to re-sign te dalton schultz to 3-year, $36m deal
Schultz, 27, has 270 receptions for 2,757 yards and 22 touchdowns in 90 career games.

sources: te zach ertz reaches one-year deal with commanders
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Ertz has 709 catches for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns in 11 seasons.

 

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broncos to release russell wilson, take $85m dead money hit
Wilson's release will end a disappointing chapter for both sides. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Payton benched him with two games remaining in 2023, a move that in effect marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver.

Sources: Broncos OK Russell Wilson to talk to teams before release​

Before free agency begins next week, the Broncos have given soon-to-be-released quarterback Russell Wilson permission to immediately begin speaking and meeting with other teams in their home cities, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton benched him with two games remaining in 2023, a move that in effect marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver. He had passed for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions before his benching.

The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million deal after his arrival in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They will take on an $85 million hit in dead money over the next two seasons because of the release. The Broncos went all-in to acquire Wilson from the Seahawks, sending five draft picks, including two first-round and two second-round selections, as well as three players. Wilson spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks, during which he was selected to nine Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. A third-round pick of Seattle in 2012, Wilson has thrown for 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions in his career.

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mitch trubisky, released by steelers, signs with bills
For his career, Trubisky has passed for 12,536 yards with 72 touchdowns and 48 interceptions in 69 games (57 starts).

source: saints, tyran mathieu agree to 2-year extension
The 31-year-old Mathieu has started 34 games for the Saints and has seven interceptions in New Orleans, including one for a touchdown.

 

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2024 NFL free agency: Ranking top 100 available players​

It's nearly time for 2924 NFL free agency, and we're stacking the best players in the class. Who is set to land a big,? The franchise tag window is now closed, which means attention turns to the legal negotiation window that opens on Monday, March 11, at noon ET. Teams can talk to free agents at that point and agree to terms on new deals. Two days later, free agency will officially open on Wednesday, March 13, at 4 p.m. ET, allowing those contracts to be finalized. Players like Chris Jones and Kirk Cousins are sure to dominate the conversation, but this class runs deep. To set up the action, we ranked the top 100 players primed to be available. We factored in age, positional value, expected future production and scheme versatility, and restricted and exclusive free agents -- for whom the original teams have the right of first refusal -- are not included. Let's jump in and look at the best available players from 1 to 100. (We will slightly tweak this list as players are cut or re-signed leading up to Monday's negotiation window opening.)

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broncos to release russell wilson, take $85m dead money hit
Wilson's release will end a disappointing chapter for both sides. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Payton benched him with two games remaining in 2023, a move that in effect marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver.

eagles' jason kelce announces retirement after 13 seasons
A sixth-round draft selection in 2011, Kelce, 36, played his entire 13-year career with the Eagles. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls in 13 seasons and was named first-team All-Pro for the sixth time in 2023 -- proof that he played at an elite level up to his final snap.

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Kelce is the fifth center in NFL history with at least six All-Pro selections. The other four -- Jim Otto, Bulldog Turner, Dermontti Dawson and Jim Ringo -- are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sources: Broncos OK Russell Wilson to talk to teams before release​

Before free agency begins next week, the Broncos have given soon-to-be-released quarterback Russell Wilson permission to immediately begin speaking and meeting with other teams in their home cities, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton benched him with two games remaining in 2023, a move that in effect marked the end of the quarterback's career in Denver. He had passed for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions before his benching.

The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million deal after his arrival in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They will take on an $85 million hit in dead money over the next two seasons because of the release. The Broncos went all-in to acquire Wilson from the Seahawks, sending five draft picks, including two first-round and two second-round selections, as well as three players. Wilson spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks, during which he was selected to nine Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. A third-round pick of Seattle in 2012, Wilson has thrown for 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions in his career.

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Sources: Russell Wilson, Steelers to meet; QB spoke with Giants​

Quarterback Russell Wilson is visiting Friday with the Pittsburgh Steelers and spoke with the New York Giants on Thursday as the free agent-to-be seeks his next NFL team, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. League sources described Wilson's session with the Giants as an "exploratory meeting." Wilson is expected to meet with other teams, including possibly the Las Vegas Raiders, sources said. Wilson is meeting with teams ahead of his release by the Denver Broncos at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Sources told Schefter this week that the Broncos had granted Wilson permission to immediately begin speaking and meeting with other teams in their home cities.

The Steelers have only 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett under contract at quarterback. Mason Rudolph is entering free agency after starting three games for Pittsburgh last season.

The Giants, meanwhile, have said they expect to add a quarterback this offseason, whether it be in free agency or the draft. Daniel Jones is rehabbing a torn ACL and backup Tyrod Taylor is set to become a free agent.

The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million deal after his arrival in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. Wilson, 35, said he was told at the time that if he and his representatives didn't play financial ball, he would be pulled as the starter. He is now seeking a third NFL team after spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks, during which he was selected to nine Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. A third-round pick of Seattle in 2012, Wilson has thrown for 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions.

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sources: ravens, justin madubuike agree to a 4-year, $98m deal
The deal is a record for defensive tackles in terms of guarantees in total and at signing. The $24.5 million average per year is second to only Aaron Donald ($31.6 million).

eagles, de brandon graham agrees to one-year deal
Graham, 35, set a personal high with 11 sacks in 2022 but declined to enter free agency last offseason, instead opting for a team-friendly one-year, $5 million contract to remain in Philadelphia.

 

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National Football League​

 

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chiefs, dt chris jones agree to massive five-year contract
He came back on a revised one-year deal, totaled 10.5 sacks on the season, was named first-team All-Pro, won his third Super Bowl and now becomes the highest-paid defensive tackle based on average annual salary in NFL history.

texans reach deal with ex-jaguars dt folorunso fatukas, sources say
In his two years with the Jaguars, Fatukasi had 48 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and 5 quarterback hits.

andre james re-signs with ralders ahead of free agency
Last season, James played 964 snaps and was flagged for just two penalties (a hold and a false start). James had a 96.5% pass block win rate, per ESPN Stats & Information data, and was charged with giving up seven sacks. He also had a 70.1% run block win rate.

 

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bears reach deal with two-timw all pro saftey kevin byard
Byard, 30, played in 10 regular-season games for Philadelphia, recording an interception, 3 passes defended and 75 tackles. Between the Titans and Eagles, Byard finished the 2023 season with 122 tackles, a career best. Byard has 28 career interceptions over eight seasons. He also has 749 tackles and four sacks in 130 games.

sources: buccaneers, baker mayfield agree on 3-year, $100m deal
Mayfield's 28 touchdowns during the regular season ranked seventh in the league and were a career best for him. His 2.8 touchdown-interception ratio tied with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for ninth in the league. His 4,044 passing yards also ranked ninth, and the most in a single season in Mayfield's career. He also posted a career-best 64.3 completion percentage.

 

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Eagles DT Fletcher Cox, six-time Pro Bowler, retiring from NFL​

Six-time Pro Bowl Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox announced Sunday that he is retiring from the NFL. He follows in the footsteps of longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce, who announced his retirement this week. Cox, 33, remained one of the Eagles' top performers in 2023, recording 5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 36 quarterback pressures in 15 games. Cox is one of the most accomplished defensive players in Eagles history. He holds the franchise record for sacks (70) and Pro Bowl appearances (6) by a defensive tackle and trails only Reggie White, Trent Cole, Clyde Simmons and Graham in career sacks. The 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Mississippi State, Cox has played his entire career in Philadelphia. He has appeared in 188 career regular-season games, the second most by an Eagles defensive player behind Graham (195). He helped guide the Eagles to their only Super Bowl championship during the 2017 campaign and followed that up with his best season as a pro, racking up 10.5 sacks and 34 quarterback hits in 2018 en route to first-team All-Pro honors.

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Sources: Eagles to sign ex-Giants RB Saquon Barkley to 3-year deal​

Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million contract that could be worth up to $46.75 million and includes $26 million fully guaranteed at signing, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Barkley now beats the franchise tag number and has a maximum average-per-year salary of $15.833 million, which would be second highest for a running back in NFL history.

The two-time Pro Bowl running back rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns for the Giants last season, missing three games with a high ankle sprain suffered in a Week 2 win over the Arizona Cardinals Barkley rushed for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns in his six seasons with the Giants. He also had 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.

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source: rb gus edwards to get 2-year deal with chargers
Edwards has been a major reason why the Ravens produced the most rushing yards (17,484) in the NFL since 2018. Despite sharing the backfield with Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins, he has run for 3,395 yards, the most by a Baltimore running back over the last six seasons.

source: colts re-sign grover stewart to 3-year, $39m contract
A 2017 fourth-round pick, Stewart, 30, has spent his entire career with the Colts, teaming with All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner since 2020 to form one of the top defensive interior duos in the NFL. He has 280 tackles and 9 sacks in 107 career games (75 starts).

 

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source: packers to sign josh jacobs, release aaron jones
He agreed to a restructured $11.791 million, one-year deal and had the worst season of his five-year career -- finishing with lows in games played (13), rushing yards (805), yards per carry (3.5), rushing touchdowns (6), rushing first downs (34) and yards from scrimmage (1,101). - Jones, meanwhile, has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over 97 games since being draft by Green Bay in 2017. In his seven seasons, Jones, 29, had rushed for 5,940 yards and scored 63 total touchdowns (45 rushing, 18 receiving). He also has caught 272 passes for 2,076 yards.

sources: patriots release devante parker, add antonio gibson
Parker finished with 33 receptions for 394 yards and no touchdown catches last season. - Gibson has a receiver-based background, having totaled 642 carries for 2,643 yards (4.11 avg.) with 22 touchdowns over his four-year career, while adding 172 receptions for 1,283 yards with 7 touchdowns.

 

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QB Kirk Cousins leaving Vikings for 4-year deal with Falcons​

The Atlanta Falcons have finally solved their franchise quarterback issues. The club agreed to terms on a four-year deal with former Minnesota Vikings free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins on Monday, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Cousins' deal is worth $180 million ($45 million per season), including $100 million guaranteed. Cousins, 35, was having one of his best seasons in 2023 and had been one of the NFL's most durable quarterbacks before tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 8 at Lambeau Field. At the time, he was tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns (18) and ranked second in passing yards (2,331).

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National Football League​