Category: sports

* 30-year-old led Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50 * Concerns over injuries hits appetite for quarterbackThe Carolina Panthers will release quarterback Cam Newton, the man who led them to Super Bowl 50, on Tuesday according to multiple reports.The decision will end Newton’s nine-year career with the Panthers. Carolina chose him as the No1 overall pick in the 2011 draft and he was named the 2015 NFL MVP, the season the Panthers reached the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Denver Broncos. At his best, Newton’s strong arm and skills as a runner made him a formidable player but he has struggled with shoulder and foot injuries in recent seasons.Earlier this month the Panthers said they have given the 30-year-old permission to seek a trade but he replied on social media that he had not asked for one. “Stop the word play!!” Newton wrote in an Instagram comment. “I never asked for it!! There is no dodging this one; I love the Panthers to death and will always love you guys!! Please do not try and play me or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this: You forced me into this.”When the Panthers signed free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater last week, it was clear Newton’s career with the team was all but over. The Panthers also traded back-up quarterback Kyle Allen to Washington this week and brought in PJ Walker from the XFL. > The Panthers tried to send Cam Newton to the Bears and Chargers. They found no takers and at this point, no starting jobs available. Release was the only option. Carolina has just $2M in dead money with this release, but Cam is now free.> > — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2020ESPN’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Panthers attempted to trade Newton to the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Chargers but there was no interest. The lack of interest is unsurprising given Newton’s injury history and the fact that NFL doctors are not conducting physicals during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Right now, he’s worth nothing until such time as people can work him out and give him a physical – their own doctors give him a physical and then work him out,” former Bills, Panthers and Colts general manager Bill Polian told ESPN. “It’s unfortunate. He’s got to prove he’s healthy for a number of reasons, and right now he can’t do that, for a number of reasons.”> View this post on Instagram> > Thank you 1! You changed the way I approach the game and put the fun back in it for me. I’ll always owe you for that. I speak for the Carolinas when I say thank you for all memories and smiles you brought us… 1ØVĒ🤟🏼> > A post shared by Christian McCaffrey (@christianmccaffrey) on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:29am PDTNewton’s teammate Christian McCaffery paid tribute to the quarterback in an Instagram post on Tuesday. “You changed the way I approach the game and put the fun back in it for me. I’ll always owe you for that. I speak for the Carolinas when I say thank you for all memories and smiles you brought us,” the running back wrote. The Panthers have already lost two other key members of their Super Bowl 50 team. Luke Kuechly retired in January at the age of 28, while Greg Olsen joined the Seattle Seahawks last month.

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a one-year contract with Jordan Ta’amu, the highest-rated quarterback during the abbreviated XFL season. The 22-year-old Ta’amu was undrafted out of Mississippi last year and spent time in training camp with the Texans. The Chiefs signed Henne last week to a $3.25 million, two-year contract that includes $2.75 million guaranteed, making it unlikely that Ta’amu will beat him out for the backup job.

The Panthers reportedly tried to trade Cam Newton to the Bears and Chargers, but couldn’t get any traction on a potential deal.

Tua doesn’t look like a guy who had surgery four months ago.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a contract with free-agent linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, who played in 15 games with Cincinnati in 2019.

Free agency isn’t over yet, but a flurry of activity has shifted the NFL landscape. It’s time to look at the rosters and decide who’s making the grade.

The Browns should have an offense on par with the Vikings’ — and likely with a higher ceiling, depending on how you feel about Baker Mayfield.

All-Pro center Travis Frederick announced his sudden retirement, making him the seventh starter to leave Dallas in a weird offseason.

The New York Jets and linebacker James Burgess have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press. Burgess started the final 10 games of last season at inside linebacker for the Jets after injuries decimated the position. The 26-year-old linebacker is a favorite of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who also coached him in Cleveland.

Here’s the scouting report on our No. 43 overall prospect in the 2020 NFL draft.

Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm details how the Broncos offensive lineman is made to make it to the professional level.

The Panthers are making more changes at quarterback. A person familiar with the situation says the Panthers have agreed to terms on contracts with former XFL quarterback P.J. Walker of the Houston Roughnecks and former Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead. The person says Walker agreed to a two-year contract and Whitehead will get a one-year deal.

Bruce Arians clearly scored a huge W in Tom Brady, but you know who else comes out of the early part of free agency as a winner? Baker Mayfield.

The shock of Tom Brady signing with the Buccaneers has worn off. Now his choice looks clear in retrospect. After all, this was Brady being Brady.

The 21 refers to the personnel grouping that Zach Angelillo, a linebacker turned fullback, will line up in a 3-point stance in the backfield, something the Bears haven’t had with some regularity since the Jeff Tedford years. “We want to be difficult to defend,” offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said about bringing back the position, “and at times when you have a fullback on the field, you can be a bit more difficult to defend than if you have three or four wide.” While the Bears had a fullback in Malik McMorris from 2015-18, this is a little different, as an actual player in the backfield more than just the H-back/TE role that McMorris played.

As he prepared to jump to Tampa Bay, Tom Brady had just one request of the franchise, and it wasn’t about wearing No. 12.

Bill Belichick hasn’t panicked since Tom Brady left. In New England, there has always been confidence that it has something in its latest late-round NFL draft pick.

Joe Douglas entered free agency focused on improving the New York Jets’ shaky offensive line. Two people with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday night that the Jets and former Carolina Panthers guard Greg Van Roten agreed to a three-year contract. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because teams can’t announce deals until they are officially signed, per NFL rules.

The coronavirus makes it tougher for NFL teams to evaluate certain players, and it could completely change the landscape of the draft.

Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and Jadeveon Clowney didn’t have to wait long to find homes in the NFL when they came out of college. Winston, the top pick in the 2015 draft, has been supplanted as starting quarterback in Tampa Bay by Tom Brady and is in danger of being on the wrong end of the NFL’s version of quarterback musical chairs. Clowney, who was the No. 1 pick the year before Winston, hasn’t been able to find the megacontract he hoped for in the opening days of free agency and might eventually have to settle for a more reasonable contract either to remain in Seattle or sign someplace else.

Of all the QBs who appear to be available, Cam Newton makes the most sense for a New England team that loves to scoop up cheap players with tons of potential.

Por ahora, en el Sur de la Conferencia Nacional hay cuatro quarterbacks que han disputado el Super Bowl. Entre ellos, figura un recién llegado a la división.

ATLANTA (AP) — Los Falcons de Atlanta llegaron a un acuerdo de un año con el running back Todd Gurley, tres veces elegido al Pro Bowl, reveló el viernes una persona familiarizada con las negociaciones.La persona habló con The Associated Press sobre el pacto bajo condición de mantener el anonimato dado que no será anunciado de manera hasta que Gurley apruebe un examen físico.

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (AP) — Los Broncos de Denver continúan con su impresionante racha de adquisiciones y llegaron a un acuerdo el viernes con el excorredor de los Chargers Melvin Gordon, por dos años.Una persona con conocimiento del acuerdo le dijo a The Associated Press que el contrato es por 16 millones de dólares, de los que sólo 2,5 millones no se encuentran garantizados.

After 10 seasons with the Vikings, Everson Griffen will be suiting up elsewhere this fall.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs agreed to a one-year contract with former New York Giants cornerback Antonio Hamilton on Friday, the first deal made by the Super Bowl champions since the start of free agency earlier in the week.

It’s not just how the Texans coach handled DeAndre Hopkins, but criticism from multiple former players indicates a potentially toxic culture in Houston.

Well, it’s the end of an era: Tom Brady will no longer be a Patriot in 2020. But Scott Pianowski thinks his new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a win-win-win situation.

With the addition of Tom Brady to the Bucs and Todd Gurley to the Falcons, the NFC South will be a lot more interesting in 2020.

QB Tom Brady announced Friday what was reported Tuesday: He has joined the Buccaneers.