3:07 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With a job as a television analyst waiting and a desire to move on to the next stage of his life, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, 35, formally announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday. Sanders, who spent most of six of his 12 NFL seasons in Denver, was

12:14 PM ET FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will miss at least three games as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery, the team announced Wednesday. Initially, he was expected to miss one or two games. Explaining the decision, coach Robert Saleh said Wilson won’t play until Week 4 “at the

11:09 AM ET Alaina GetzenbergESPN The Buffalo Bills are taking care of one of Josh Allen‘s favorite targets just before the season is set to begin, reaching an agreement on a four-year extension with tight end Dawson Knox, it was announced Wednesday. The deal is for $53.6 million and includes $31 million guaranteed, sources told

1:07 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have placed starting guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Vaitai’s former team. Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed Wednesday that Vaitai has a back injury, which occurred during the preseason finale in Pittsburgh on Aug.

2:42 PM ET As if there wasn’t enough juice to the season opener between the rival Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, one player who has switched sides gave it a little extra. Za’Darius Smith, who signed with the Vikings this offseason after three seasons with the Packers, criticized how his former team handled the

1:20 PM ET TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals placed backup quarterback Colt McCoy on injured reserve Wednesday, just four days before they open the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a corresponding move, Arizona promoted quarterback Trace McSorley from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. McSorley will take over McCoy’s role as

9:48 AM ET A record 46.6 million Americans plan to bet on the NFL this season, up 3% from last year, according to survey results released Wednesday by the American Gaming Association. As the NFL season kicks off Thursday, 31 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets, and a

4:28 PM ET ESPN News Services KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid is scheduled to enter a plea on Monday to felony driving while intoxicated causing serious injury after a 2021 car crash that seriously injured Ariel Young, who was 5 at the time. Reid, son of Chiefs coach

6:35 AM ET Brady HendersonESPN SEATED NEXT TO his wife and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a luxury suite at Raymond James Stadium, Russell Wilson watched Super Bowl LV and stewed. To Wilson, who was in Tampa, Florida, to receive his Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the game was an unsettling reminder

6:00 AM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If it feels like 2019 all over to Steve Spagnuolo, there’s a good reason for that. The Kansas City Chiefs overhauled their defense again, much like they did three years ago, right after Spagnuolo joined the Chiefs as their defensive coordinator. This time, the Chiefs will have as