Florida A&M’s protection plan may be down a player this season. Starting offensive lineman Kardell Thomas announced Monday on social media he intends to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, which reopens from April 15 to April 30. Thomas has one season of eligibility remaining. However, as a graduate transfer, he can enter the portal anytime. “First of all, I would like to say …

Henry McKenna AFC East Reporter The New England Patriots appear to be mostly sitting on their hands in NFL free agency. They seemed like the most-eligible bachelor for the league’s top free agents, at least in a fiscal sense. New England had more than $100 million to spend, the most in the NFL. And yet the team’s biggest moves (so …

Last year, we broke down the value of the No. 1 overall draft pick in trade discussions and listed what it would cost each potentially interested team to move up with the Bears and get to the No. 1 pick. The last team on our list was the Panthers, and while the trade parameters we listed weren’t followed exactly, by …

CLEMSON — Clemson football added its first defensive back in the 2025 class with the commitment of four-star safety Tae Harris on Monday. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back from Cedartown High School in Georgia is rated as the No. 15 safety nationally and the 26th-ranked player in Georgia by the 247Sprots Composite. Harris, who decommitted from Georgia on Jan. 21, …

Austin Ekeler is in new territory for the 2024 season as he enters his first year in the NFL wearing a jersey other than the Chargers. The 28-year-old was with the Chargers from 2017 to 2023 and found a new home in the Washington Commanders this free agency, signing to a two-year contract. With this fresh start, Ekeler is motivated …

Four available free agents who fit 49ers’ biggest roster needs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The free-agent signing period has slowed, but the 49ers’ work may not be completed. One spot where San Francisco could look to bring in a player capable of starting is safety. And the market appears to be on their side, too, as there …

Oklahoma’s Konnor Near speaks during a media day for the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) football team in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. NORMAN — OU linebacker Konnor Near is reportedly jumping ship. The redshirt senior are set to enter the transfer portal, On3 reported Monday. The report came a week after the Sooners opened spring camp ahead of …

Leighton Vander Esch has announced his retirement from the NFL. The 28-year-old played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, having recorded 469 tackles (269 solo), 13 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He also defended 13 passes and forced three fumbles.  “Playing for the Jones family [and the coaching staff] have been the best days of my life. …

The Buffalo Bills have locked down one of their best defensive players for the future. On Monday, ESPN reported that Buffalo had signed All-Pro cornerback Taron Johnson to a three-year extension. The extension reportedly makes him the NFL’s highest-paid nickel corner.  Johnson had one more year remaining on his deal, so this new extension carries him through 2027. The Bills …

The University of Memphis’ renovations of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium will be split into three phases and are expected to be completed before the start of the 2026 football season, university officials announced Monday. Officials unveiled new renderings and specific plans for the project, which is expected to cost $220 million. Among the new features unveiled Monday were a party …

USATSI The Pittsburgh Steelers made an abrupt change at quarterback this weekend, trading 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett before acquiring Justin Fields. Days after the initial move, Pickett has addressed his sudden move to the Philadelphia Eagles, telling reporters Monday “it was time” for a split from Pittsburgh, all but acknowledging discord with Steelers decision-makers. “I just thought it …

Ralph Vacchiano NFC East Reporter The New York Giants met with Russell Wilson last week. Then they signed Drew Lock. They have also heavily scouted all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and they’ve spoken to teams about the possibility of trading up, presumably to take one. And all of this comes one year after they gave a four-year, …

The Dolphins have added another piece to their offensive line. The team announced the signing of former Eagle Jack Driscoll. No terms of the deal were disclosed. Driscoll was a 2020 fourth-round pick and he appeared in 58 regular season and playoff games while with the NFC East club. Driscoll started 17 of those games and saw time at both …

The Michigan football program kicked off spring practice on Monday and already there’s a departure. Eamonn Dennis, a senior wide receiver who mostly played special teams, posted on social media that he has entered the transfer portal. The 5-foot-10, 188-pound wide receiver from Worcester, Massachusetts, shared in his post that he graduated early after 3½ years of school and that …

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is calling it a career. After six years in Dallas, Vander Esch will announce on Monday that he is retiring from the NFL, according to ESPN. The Cowboys released the 28-year-old Vander Esch last week as part of a series of cap-clearing moves, but it was widely expected that he would announce his …