
Report: Bills, DT Ed Oliver agree to $68M extension
Oliver, the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, had one year remaining on his rookie contract.
The extension reportedly includes $45 million guaranteed and ties him to Buffalo for the next five seasons.
Oliver, 25, recorded 34 tackles, 14 quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks in 13 games (all starts) last season.
He has 96 tackles, 42 QB hits, 14.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed and four forced fumbles in 62 career games (53 starts).
The 6-foot-1, 287-pound Oliver is scheduled to earn $10.75 million on his fifth-year option in 2023.

Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb not distracted by contract extension talks
"Quite honestly -- I'll be 100 percent honest -- I'm not even distracted," said Lamb, who had his fifth-year, $17.99 million option picked up in April. "The money, definitely worried about it, but it's not something that's on my mind every day or when I come to the building. I'm not thinking about how much money I'm gonna make if I do this. It's really all about coming in, showing my worth, and letting everything else handle itself."
Lamb, the team's first-round pick in 2020, earned his second Pro Bowl selection in 2022 after recording team-leading totals in catches (107), receiving yards (1,359) and receiving touchdowns (nine). The 107 receptions were the third most in team history during a single season.
His 260 career catches are the most in the first three seasons for any player in Cowboys history. Lamb, 24, also has totaled 3,396 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. (hip) has minor injury
Steichen said the injury is minor. He said Pittman won't return to the practice field until he is totally recovered.
Pittman, 25, had a career-best 99 receptions in 2022 in his third NFL season. He had 925 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2021, Pittman established career highs of 1,082 yards and six touchdowns. He caught 88 passes.
Overall, Pittman has 277 receptions for 2,510 yards and 11 touchdowns in 46 games (41 starts).
The Colts reportedly worked out receiver Breshad Perriman on Friday and plan to attempt to sign him. Perriman, 29, has played for four NFL teams and has 145 receptions for 2,343 yards and 16 touchdowns in 80 games (25 starts).
Perriman, a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and had nine catches for 110 yards and one touchdown in 11 games (three starts).
Steichen said three draft choices are nursing injuries. Receiver Josh Downs (third round) is battling a knee injury, tight end Will Mallory (fifth round) has a foot ailment and cornerback Darius Rush (fifth round) is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Bills' Von Miller eyes season opener for return from ACL injury
"You know I love guarantees," Miller said Thursday, via Channel 9NEWS in Denver. "It's me, it's Von. I love guarantees. I want to play. In 2013, I had (ACL) surgery in January and I played at the beginning of August in the preseason. So that put me around seven months, eight months.
"And 10 years removed from that, 2023, I have a whole new outlook. I know exactly where I'm supposed to be at two months, four months, six months and in the position where I'm at now. I feel great, I feel comfortable. I feel like I'll be ready to go at the start of the season."
Still, despite his confidence, he hedged a bit.
Miller, 34, is well aware of who he might be facing in the season opener, provided he is able to get back on the field.
"I trust our GM, I trust our athletic trainers, I trust our team, our owners. Whenever it's time for me to play, I'll be ready to go," Miller said. "I want to be ready (for) Week 1 versus the Jets. Aaron Rodgers, 'Monday Night Football.'
"But at the same time I'm not in control of that. I'm going to do everything I can physically, mentally, emotionally to be ready for that. But if it's not the first week of the season, then it won't be any longer than Week 6, for sure."
Miller recorded eight sacks and 21 tackles while forcing one fumble in 11 games (all starts) last season, his first since signing a six-year, $120 million contract.
The eight-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro has totaled 123.5 sacks, 561 tackles, 27 forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries in 161 career games (all starts) with the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams and Bills.
He was part of Super Bowl-winning teams in both Denver and Los Angeles.

Vikings TE Ben Ellefson retires at age 26
Ellefson, 26, appeared in four games with one start for the Vikings last season, when he had three receptions on three targets for 26 yards. Primarily a blocking tight end and special teams player, he was placed on injured reserve in October and was unable to return to action.
"Injuries are part of the game and although they are a big reason for me moving on, I am fortunate to be in a spot where I can still walk away from the game as a player, ready to tackle whatever is next in my life," Ellefson wrote on his Instagram account.
For his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2020) and Minnesota (2021-22), Ellefson totaled 16 games (five starts) with four receptions on eight targets for 36 yards. Each season ended on the injured reserve list.
Ellefson, a native of Hawley, Minn., played at North Dakota State and signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He signed with the Vikings after the Jaguars released him in September 2021.
"Thank you football for the people you've brought into my life and the opportunities you've given me to pursue my dreams to the fullest," Ellefson wrote. "I've been blessed on my path to have people who believed in me, which has drowned out those who doubted. So, thank you believers, for the chances you've taken on me, helping and supporting me in my drive to give this game all I could and to reach my fullest potential. The list is long and I am fortunate.
"Everybody's story is different, and I'm proud to say I've given the game of football everything I have."

Colts sign Genard Avery, waive Darius Hagans
Avery played nine games (no starts) for the Buccaneers last season, recording one sack and five tackles in those games.
Avery was a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2018 and recorded 4.5 sacks in his rookie year. He was traded to the Eagles during his second season after reportedly falling out of favor with the new coaching staff.
He played in Philadelphia for three seasons, recording three sacks across 35 games (12 starts).
The Colts had to release Hagans to make room for signing Avery. Hagans signed with the Colts in May as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia St.

Pro Bowl P Brett Kern retires after 15 seasons
Kern, 37, began his career with the Denver Broncos in 2008 and played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
The Titans scheduled a press conference for Thursday afternoon.
"It's been hard," Kern said of trying to write a proper retirement speech. "It's also brought back a lot of memories, too. You want to be able to thank a ton of people who helped you over the years, and all the memories from games, from teammates and coaches, conversations in the locker rooms, and road trips.
"To try and get 15 years into 3-4 pages on Microsoft Word, it's been pretty challenging. It's been emotional, too, just thinking back at certain memories. It's also emotional just because there's such a sense of gratitude to a lot of people who have helped me get this far. And, just knowing it's closing a chapter on a really important part of my life and starting a new one."
He was named to three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19, adding first-team All-Pro honors in the latter campaign.
Kern punted 1,006 times in 223 games with the Broncos (2008-09), Titans (2009-21) and Eagles. He averaged 45.9 yards per punt with 396 kicks placed inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Tom Brady: 'I'm certain I'm not playing again'
"I'm certain I'm not playing again," the seven-time Super Bowl winner told Sports Illustrated on Thursday, responding to the latest rumors regarding a potential return to the league.
"So I've tried to make that clear, and I hate to continue to profess that because I've already told people that lots of times," Brady said.
Speculation surged following Monday's reports that Brady, 45, has finalized a deal to purchase a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.
The three-time MVP quarterback said he already has plenty on his plate.
"I'm looking forward to my broadcasting job at Fox next year," Brady said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity ahead with the Raiders, and we're in the process of that along with the other different things that I'm a part of professionally and in my personal life. Just spending as much time with my kids as I can and seeing them grow up and support the different things that they have going on, and that's a very important job. And I take them all pretty seriously."
Brady's 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports begins in 2024.
He announced his retirement from the NFL on Feb. 1 after 23 seasons.
Brady set NFL records for wins by a quarterback (251), Super Bowl wins, passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649) during his career with the New England Patriots (2000-19) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020-22).

CPR training aided Rams DC Raheem Morris in life-saving Vegas incident
The child had no detectable pulse when his father removed him from the Encore Las Vegas pool and carried him to a nearby lifeguard, according to Morris' wife, Nicole, who shared the story on Instagram.
Morris rushed to ask the lifeguard where the automatic external defibrillator (AED) was located and ran to retrieve it.
"When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK," Morris told ESPN.
Morris credited his recent training on certified CPR and AED use for knowing the process and protocol for introducing the automatic electric shock device. Use of AEDs and CPR training have become priorities for NFL teams since the January incident involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who experienced cardiac arrest on the field and was revived by team training and medical staff using an AED.
"I'm just thankful I knew what to do," Raheem Morris said. "You just never know when you're going to need that stuff."
Nicole Morris said the boy was discharged from the hospital 24 hours later.

Report: Aaron Rodgersâ agent tried to get Packers GM fired
Packers president Mark Murphy didn't fire GM Brian Gutekunst and held on to Rodgers -- for two more seasons anyway.
Rodgers referred the publication to his agent, Dave Dunn, who didn't return messages to confirm or deny that alleged 2021 request.
The meltdown between Rodgers and the organization began, as has been widely reported, with the Packers selecting Jordan Love with the No. 26 overall pick of the 2020 draft.
The soap opera should have ended with the Packers trading Rodgers to the New York Jets last month for multiple draft picks.
However, Rodgers continues to litigate the events of the past two years. He was quoted extensively in The Athletic piece, including whether he ghosted the Packers in the past few months, an assertion made by the Packers toward the end.
"Did Brian text me more than I texted him? Yeah, but did I ghost him? No," Rodgers said. "I texted him back. There was back-and-forths that we had and so this is the story you wanna go with? You're gonna stand on this hill of austerity and say that arguably in the conversation of the best player in your franchise history, you're gonna say I couldn't get a hold of him and that's why we had to move on?
"Like, c'mon man. Just tell the truth, you wanted to move on. You didn't like the fact that we didn't communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like."

Reports: Broncos to sign K Elliott Fry
Fry joined former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher and Parker White during a tryout for the position. Fry would be the lone kicker on the Broncos' depth chart.
Fry, 28, has spent time with the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals during his NFL career. He is 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts and 5-for-7 on extra-point tries for his career. McManus, by comparison, has 274 FG attempts.
McManus, 31, spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Broncos before being released on May 23. The former team captain was the final player remaining from Denver's Super Bowl 50 win over Carolina.

Jets: Aaron Rodgers 'fine'; Breece Hall eyes Week 1 return
Rodgers is dealing with a nagging right calf injury, although Saleh said he didn't expect the 39-year-old to be limited for long.
"Yeah, he's fine," Saleh said of the four-time NFL MVP. "Just doing a bunch of rehab. He'll be limited today and then just hoping to ease him back in. Hopefully, full (participation) on Friday. For sure next week."
Hall sustained a torn ACL during the Jets' 16-9 victory over the Denver Broncos on Oct. 23. That put an abrupt halt on the rookie campaign for Hall, who was selected by New York in the second round out of Iowa State.
Now, Saleh appears to be gaining confidence that Hall is in line to return to game action as soon as the team's season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11 in East Rutherford, N.J.
"I'm very optimistic on that one. I don't want to jinx it," said Saleh, who knocked on the podium for effect. "I mean, the kid's already hitting over 22 (mph) on the GPS, so he looks frickin' good."
The Jets likely will be careful with Hall as they bring him up to speed.
"He looks good," Saleh said. "Again, he's one of those kids that we've had to kind of hold back from him because -- it's weird to say it, you don't want to heal too fast on an ACL. You've got to be able to balance it out with strength. He looks strong. He looks powerful. He's learning. I'm excited for him to get back on the field. I feel like he won't need to be limited during training camp, even though we still will just to be conscientious and cautious with him, but he looks awesome."
Hall, 21, had 80 carries for 463 yards and four touchdowns in seven games last season. He also had 19 catches for 218 yards and a score.

Bill Belichick takes responsibility for Patriots' OTA violation
"It's good to get back on the field today. We had a situation with some scheduling in Phase 2, but we got that worked out," Belichick said. "... It's in the past. Moved on. Looking forward to getting out on the field today."
In addition to the Patriots losing two OTA sessions, Belichick was fined $50,000 for the violation of offseason rules.
Per reports, Joe Judge held special teams meetings that kept players at team facilities for longer than the maximum four hours.
Belichick, who ultimately took responsibility for the team, did not elaborate on Judge's job title.
"He'll do whatever I ask him to do," Belichick said. "It might change from time to time, he'll be involved in a lot of things."

Todd Bowles: Bucs' QB competition 'constant analyzation'
Tampa Bay drafted Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 draft to help prepare for Brady's eventual departure, but the Buccaneers also brought in a veteran presence this past offseason when they signed Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal.
With the starting position up for grabs, Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles has been keeping a close eye on both Trask and Mayfield during organized team activities.
"You don't hit the quarterbacks in OTAs, nor do you hit them in mini-camps or even training camp until they play games. So you really don't know who is what under pressure," Bowles said Tuesday. "From an analyzing standpoint, again it's the grasp of the offense, it's the reading of the defense -- it's not necessarily making the big play but the right play.
"Then it comes down to moxie, it comes down to intelligence -- in-game intelligence and adjustments and fits and film work. You can see who the team galvanizes around and who's ready to play the first game and you make a decision from there. It's constant analyzation, whether it's small or whether it's big."
Former Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford is also on the depth chart but has not taken any reps as a starter at OTAs.
"We switch them up all the time," Bowles said about who gets to take snaps as a starter. "It doesn't mean anything -- Kyle has taken them and Baker has taken them."
Mayfield, 28, will be entering his sixth season and has already given the league a taste of what he brings to the field. However, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the 25-year-old Trask, who appeared in just one game last season and only had nine pass attempts.
"He's getting the reps," Bowles said of Trask. "When you get more reps, you get more confidence. Obviously, and rightfully so, with Tom there last year and Blaine (Gabbert) there, he didn't get the reps he should get. He's getting a lot of reps right now.
"It's really an indoctrination of his rookie year -- getting all the reps he's getting. As he gets those reps, he gets more confidence so he's happy to be playing."
Trask has also been adjusting to offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who is entering his first season with the Buccaneers after holding various roles with the Seattle Seahawks on Pete Carroll's staff from 2010-22.
Canales' offensive scheme focuses more on working outside of the pocket, which is something that Trask has been enjoying.
"This new scheme allows you to get outside the pocket and use your legs more. That's really exciting for me," Trask said. "As a quarterback, anytime you can get out on the edge it's really exciting to throw one on the run or get outside the pocket and make a play (or) run for a first down or something like that."
Should he land the starting job, Mayfield will be looking to redeem himself after a disappointing 2022 season. He played seven games (six starts) for the Carolina Panthers and five games (four starts) for the Rams, completing 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Titans sign 1st-rd pick OL Peter Skoronski, add DT Jaleel Johnson
Skoronski, 21, was selected 11th overall in last month's draft after a three-year starting career at Northwestern. The unanimous 2022 All-American anchored the left tackle spot in college, but most scouting profiles project him as a guard in the NFL.
He is expected to compete for a starting spot on a Tennessee offensive line that is in flux this offseason. The Titans will be replacing three starters up front, including three-time Pro Bowl selection Taylor Lewan, who was cut in February after nine seasons. Center Ben Jones, who made his first Pro Bowl in his 11-year career last season, was also released in March while guard Nate Davis joined the Chicago Bears via free agency.
Johnson, 28, enters his seventh season after splitting 2022 with the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. In nine games (one start) last season, the 6-foot-3, 316-pound defensive tackle produced 15 tackles and one sack.
Originally a fourth-round pick in 2017 by the Minnesota Vikings, Johnson has mostly been a reserve throughout his career -- other than starting all 16 games for the Vikings in 2020 (44 tackles, 1.5 sacks). He owns 125 career tackles with 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in his 74 NFL games (21 starts) with the Vikings (2017-20), Texans (2021-22) and Falcons (2022).

Deshaun Watson would welcome reunion with DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday after three seasons with the club. He spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Houston Texans, earning three All-Pro honors.
"For me, my answer to that is, of course we'd love to have him."
Hopkins noted that he's looking for three things in a team when speaking on a podcast with Brandon Marshall last week. Per Hopkins, he wants stable management, a quarterback who "loves the game like I do" and "a great defense."
"I'll just say this, D-Hop, DeAndre Hopkins would love to be in a place where the opportunity is there for us to win," Watson said Tuesday. "We check all those boxes and I think for us to know and make sure we check all those boxes on the national stage, we've got to go out there and prove it and I think D-Hop would love to be a part of that."
The Browns, however, have a crowded wide receiver room, led by Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones. They also added Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin in the offseason, and selected Cedric Tillman in the third round of the draft.
"I really, really like our wide receiver room," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said at the same event. "I love the guys that are in there. Andrew and his crew are always looking at every avenue, so I won't comment specifically on the player other than to say that I really like our roster."

Steelers' George Pickens on Pro Bowl: 'Feel like I got snubbed'
"Year 2 goals are Pro Bowl, and I feel like last year I feel like I got snubbed," Pickens told College2Pro.com. "Cause there wasn't a lot of guys in there at the Pro Bowl that excited me. Then the Super Bowl. The two bowls. A lot of RAC, run after catch. Two bowls for sure."
Pickens, 22, recorded 52 catches for 801 yards and four touchdowns after being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia.
He ranked fourth in the NFL among rookie wideouts in both receptions and receiving yards, well behind NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson (83 catches, 1,103 yards) of the New York Jets. Like Pickens, Wilson also didn't get selected to the Pro Bowl.
The AFC's wideouts in the Pro Bowl were Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins), Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills), Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders) and Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals).

Report: Bills signing OL Brandon Shell
The Bills continue to bolster their O-line depth, already signing OL Connor McGovern, David Edwards and Kevin Jarvis this offseason. They selected two linemen in the NFL draft, in the second and seventh rounds.
Shell, 31, played one season in Miami, starting 11 of 13 games in 2022. He's played in 83 games (72 starts) for the New York Jets (2016-19), Seattle Seahawks (202-21) and Dolphins.
He was a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2016.

Le'Veon Bell says he smoked marijuana before games
Bell, who last played in the NFL in 2021, opened up on the "Steel Here" podcast, which focuses on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell played for Pittsburgh from 2013-17, then sat out the 2018 season amid a contractual battle with the team.
"Looking back on this, that's what I did," Bell said. "When I was playing football, I smoked, bro. Even before the games, I'd smoke and I'd go out there and run for 150, two (touchdowns)."
When Bell finally left the Steelers, he played for the New York Jets in 2019 and two games in 2020. The Jets' coach at the time was Adam Gase, who came under criticism from Bell on the podcast.
"Bro, we get to New York, and that's when you instantly find out that head coaches make a huge difference," Bell said. "As soon as I get to New York I find that out like the first week. ...
"Bro, the team wasn't that great, don't get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach (Mike) Tomlin (of the Steelers) was coaching that team, we win nine games at least. It's to the point where (ex-Jets quarterback) Sam Darnold don't even know like the actual line's protections because he's so confused about our offense because the coach is confusing him."
Bell, 31, added that Gase was "terrible" at calling plays.
The Jets went 7-9 in 2019, with Bell producing 789 yards and three touchdowns on 245 carries.
New York released Bell on Oct. 14, 2020, after getting 19 carries for 74 yards that year. He signed with the Chiefs three days later and added 254 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries in nine games with Kansas City. Bell appeared in one playoff game during the Chiefs' run to the Super Bowl, rushing twice for 6 yards.
In 2021, Bell played five games for the Baltimore Ravens and three for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, totaling 39 carries for 101 yards and two scores.
During his Steelers tenure, Bell was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro. In 96 career NFL games (81 starts), Bell ran 1,595 times for 6,554 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Reports: Raiders required Jimmy Garoppolo to sign contract waiver
NFL Network reviewed Addendum G of Garoppolo's contract, which is a waiver and release of team liability. Under the addendum, Garoppolo acknowledges that without the waiver, he would not pass the team's initial physical and would not be eligible for a contract because of what is referred to as a "preexisting medial and middle cuneiform and a fracture of the base of the second metatarsal in the Player's left foot."
The season-ending injury occurred Dec. 4 when Garoppolo, then the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, was sacked on the team's opening drive against the Miami Dolphins. He was 2-for-4 for 56 yards before being replaced by rookie Brock Purdy, who led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game.
The Athletic reported Thursday that Garoppolo underwent previously undisclosed foot surgery.
Under the addendum, Garoppolo acknowledges the risk of further injury, including "permanent disability" and assumes all risks of continuing to play. He agrees to waive all claims against the Raiders, the NFL and others and leaves the team physician in charge of resolving any dispute over the injury that could arise, though Garoppolo does have the right to seek a second opinion.
For the waiver to become null and void after the 2023 season, Garoppolo must be on the 53-man roster two days after the Raiders' final game of the league year.
Garoppolo agreed to a three-year, $72.75-million deal with Las Vegas in March.
He has not yet taken the field for the Raiders in offseason workouts.
Garoppolo, 31, left the San Francisco 49ers after six seasons and multiple deep playoff runs together.
Garoppolo was the starting quarterback in San Francisco's run to Super Bowl LIV, where he passed for a touchdown and was intercepted twice in a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2020. The Niners reached the NFC Championship game in the 2021 season, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Since entering the league with the New England Patriots in 2014, Garoppolo has a 40-17 record as a starter in the regular season. He has totaled 14,289 passing yards, 87 touchdowns and 42 interceptions with a 67.6 career completion percentage.