5:50 PM ET The Atlanta Falcons have reached a four-year, $57 million extension with star linebacker Deion Jones through the 2023 season, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday. The deal, announced by the team, also includes $34 million guaranteed for the one-time Pro Bowler. Jones, a former second-round draft pick from LSU

4:11 PM ET A three-day negotiation session between the NFL and the players’ union has ended after a single day, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. “Today’s meeting was productive, constructive and beneficial for both sides, and the meetings between the NFLPA’s Executive Committee and the NFL’s Management Council Executive Committee will continue.” A

6:59 PM ET Defensive end Robert Ayers announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday. In a Facebook post he wrote: “THATS ALL FOLKS • SO THANKFUL… Was a helluva run @NFL but the time has come.. On to the next chapter of life…. #Retired #Blessed” Ayers, 33, didn’t play last season after he was

4:37 PM ET Minnesota Vikings running back Roc Thomas will be suspended for the first three games of the 2019 season without pay for violating the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse, the league announced Tuesday. Thomas, 23, was arrested on Jan. 16 and charged with felony drug possession after Dakota County police

12:43 PM ET Robbie Gould says he’s happy to put negotiations with the 49ers behind him after a “weird offseason,” and that although Chicago will always be home for him, he’s excited to return to San Francisco to play football for at least the next two seasons. The veteran kicker, appearing on The Adam Schefter

6:46 PM ET Suspended former Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders wide receiver Martavis Bryant has formally applied to the NFL for reinstatement, a source told ESPN on Monday. Bryant sent an e-mail to league officials Saturday requesting reinstatement from an indefinite suspension the league imposed in December for Bryant’s repeated violations of the league’s drug

3:03 PM ET The Atlanta Falcons and star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett have agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The sides had until 4 p.m. ET to agree to the deal with Jarrett, who initially received the $15.209 million franchise tag. Jarrett signed the tag in April, which

4:19 PM ET The Atlanta Falcons and star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett agreed to a four-year extension on Monday, the team announced. Terms were not disclosed but sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the contract is worth $68 million. The Falcons had until 4 p.m. ET to agree to the deal with Jarrett, who initially

7:04 PM ET Associated Press Ryan Leaf has been hired by ESPN to be a college football analyst, another step in the remarkable comeback of the former Washington State star who has battled drug addiction and served time in prison. Leaf will be paired with play-by-play announcer Clay Matvick and will mostly call games on

7:54 PM ET Ezekiel Elliott is the “target of extortion,” attorneys for the Dallas Cowboys running back said Saturday, after a security guard filed a complaint claiming assault during a May altercation in Las Vegas. “Over the the course of the past several weeks, Mr. Elliott has been the target of extortion,” attorneys Scott Rosenblum