9:27 AM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay was, as he put it, almost a different bird this offseason. On his “Big Play Slay” podcast, Slay revealed that he nearly joined the Baltimore Ravens before re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. “I was almost — this close — a Baltimore Raven. This

9:30 PM ET ESPN staff We are getting down to the nitty gritty of the XFL regular season in Week 7 with just three weeks left until the playoffs begin. The Seattle Sea Dragons (5-2) won their fifth straight game, looking poised Friday night against a Arlington Renegades (3-4) team that is still hoping to

6:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. Impact additions: With last week’s annual NFL league meeting in the rear view, we can set the table for the upcoming year and provide a “state of the team” snapshot based on changes over the previous two

6:00 AM ET PHOENIX — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets: 1. Publicity shy: The Jets were must-see TV in the summer of 2010 when they were featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series. Owner Woody Johnson called it “an unbelievable thing,” recalling how he saw people rush out of restaurants to

6:00 AM ET PHOENIX — When Odell Beckham Jr. made a surprise appearance at the Arizona Biltmore resort during this week’s NFL annual meeting, a symbolic — albeit unintentional — scene played out. Beckham and his entourage walked in one direction, while Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst went the other way. As much

6:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN DETROIT — Numbers don’t lie. Offensively, the Detroit Lions were one of the most dangerous teams in the league in 2022, with the unit averaging the fifth-most points per game (25.71) in the NFL. And although there were other contributing factors, the passing game — spearheaded by quarterback Jared Goff

6:00 AM ET Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN While the future of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson fueled the most conversation at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Phoenix this week, the status of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also generated some discussion. Tagovailoa suffered two diagnosed concussions last season, and the handling of a third possible head

5:40 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN The Seattle Seahawks have withdrawn the restricted free agent tender on safety Ryan Neal, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The unexpected move makes Neal an unrestricted free agent and clears $2.627 million in much-needed salary cap space for Seattle. The Seahawks assigned Neal the low RFA tender earlier this month,

6:58 PM ET Associated Press SAN DIEGO — John Brockington, a former All-Pro fullback who ranks fourth on the Green Bay Packers‘ career rushing list, has died. He was 74. The Packers announced Brockington died Friday in San Diego. Brockington played for the Packers from 1971 to ’77 and rushed for 5,024 yards during that