6:15 PM ET It has been 102 days since Jeff Pash, the NFL’s executive vice president and general counsel, announced an unexpectedly bold plan for the 2020 season amid a coronavirus pandemic that was only starting. “All of our discussions,” Pash said, “all of our focus, has been on a normal, traditional season, starting on

1:39 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting left tackle Donovan Smith, the man responsible for protecting Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady‘s blind side, said Friday morning that “risking my health, as well as my family’s health, does not seem like a risk worth taking” by playing during the coronavirus pandemic. In an

1:42 PM ET The NFL has banned jersey exchanges in 2020 as the league attempts to play through the coronavirus pandemic, according to a set of protocols distributed to teams Wednesday and obtained Thursday by ESPN. Jersey exchanges have gained in popularity in recent years, and their elimination was met with immediate derision from some

10:12 AM ET New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, has invited Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., after Jackson’s anti-Semitic social media posts. “I have seen DeSean play in his career, make outstanding football plays, we’ve communicated over social media. I’ve

2:30 PM ET As the NFL plans for how to play through the coronavirus pandemic, the league distributed new game-day protocols to teams on Wednesday. As word spread, some of the rules — such as a ban on postgame jersey swaps — drew the ire of current and former players on social media, even though

6:00 AM ET LAS VEGAS — No excuses, right? A year ago, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was essentially playing with (Las Vegas reference warning) house money when it came to his battered and broken receivers corps, a sorry situation exacerbated by Antonio Brown‘s training-camp meltdown and eventual release. As coach Jon Gruden said later, “We

5:41 PM ET Running back Raheem Mostert is requesting a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, his agent announced Wednesday. Agent Brett Tessler tweeted that the trade request comes after “months of unproductive talks” with the 49ers on adjusting his contract. After months of unproductive talks with the 49ers about fairly adjusting Raheem Mostert’s contract

11:12 AM ET Former NBA player Stephen Jackson defended DeSean Jackson on Tuesday night, saying the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver was “speaking the truth” with his controversial social media posts, including an anti-Semitic message that he attributed to Adolf Hitler. The Eagles called DeSean Jackson’s posts “offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling,” and the wide receiver

7:00 AM ET Perhaps mercifully, a determination on Dak Prescott‘s contractual fate with the Dallas Cowboys will be known in a week. Talks between the Cowboys and Prescott’s agent, Todd France, began in the spring of 2019. The club initially hoped a deal could be consummated before training camp, then during training camp, then at

5:01 PM ET Patrick Mahomes said he had two goals for his new contract when extension talks began with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this summer: He wanted long-term security and he wanted to leave the Chiefs enough financial flexibility to build a strong team around him. Mahomes said Tuesday he’s confident he attained both