6:00 AM ET Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. Patriots open spot to add rookie QB in draft: The Patriots’ lone transaction of last week, in which they released No. 3 quarterback Cody Kessler, wasn’t a headline-grabbing move. But it was notable because it did something the club generally
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2:53 PM ET Adam Schefter Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN NFL Insider Joined ESPN in 2009 Former president of the Pro Football Writers of America and the author of four books Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 In a conference call with major league sports commissioners
12:52 PM ET High-level officials from multiple NFL teams are now preparing to do the April 23-25 draft virtually, from home, away from their team facilities, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a leaguewide memo on March 26 that it was “unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft
6:00 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — New Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay doesn’t exactly come off as the bashful type — confidence and swagger drip off him, whether he’s in a conversation or shadowing an opponent’s top receiver — but when he finally had the chance to meet his idol Kobe Bryant, he was at a
6:00 AM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning turned 44 at the end of March. If he celebrated if will likely be the first of many in a year figures to be notable as far as football goes. Manning, who retired in the weeks following the Denver Broncos‘ Super Bowl 50 win, is eligible for
7:39 PM ET The state of Florida has levied three formal charges against Antonio Brown for an alleged January assault resulting in the former All-Pro’s arrest. Brown faces felony burglary conveyance, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges, according to a Broward County court document obtained by ESPN. Brown turned himself in on Jan. 23
6:29 PM ET HOUSTON — In his first public comments since trading DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien cited the wide receiver’s desire for “a raise” as one of the reasons for his trade to the Arizona Cardinals. Last month, Houston traded Hopkins, a reigning three-time All-Pro selection, and a
6:37 PM ET PITTSBURGH — When the COVID-19 pandemic halted plans to finish her spring collection, Kiya Tomlin decided to do something else with her sewing machines. Tomlin, the wife of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, is a clothing designer in Pittsburgh, and opted to pass the time during the shelter-in-place order by making cloth masks
4:58 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Defensive end Derek Wolfe considered it “a no-brainer” to join Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams along the Baltimore Ravens defensive front. “We’re going to have the best defensive line in the league, for sure,” Wolfe said in a conference call Friday with Baltimore reporters. “We can break records.”
3:52 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Maybe, a month ago, defensive end Shelby Harris did believe he would get a multiyear windfall in free agency instead of the one-year deal he signed with the Denver Broncos, but he said Friday that now is not the time to worry about such things. “At the end of