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Xavien Howard tells teams he’s fully cleared for football activities after foot injury

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Howard’s doctor sent a letter to NFL teams telling them that the veteran corner is cleared for all football activities. Howard dealt with a foot injury at the end of the 2023 season and missed Miami’s final two games.

The Dolphins released Howard with a post-June 1 designation in order to save more money under the cap. He called going home to Houston to play for the Texans a “realistic option” for him in March, but there’s been no further sign that the AFC South team is in the mix for his services.

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Lions agree to terms with OT Penei Sewell on four-year, $112 million contract extension

The Lions have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Penei Sewell on a four-year, $112 million contract extension that includes $85 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported, per a source.

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Rome Odunze- Bears drafting me would make an explosive offense - NBC Sports

There’s not much doubt that the Bears are going to be taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick on Thursday night, so the suspenseful part of their night will come with the ninth overall pick.
One popular choice for that spot in mock drafts is former Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze. On Wednesday, Odunze said that he thinks the Bears will “be in good hands” with Williams as their quarterback said joining the former USC quarterback in Chicago would “be awesome and something I’d love to be a part of” because of what he, Williams, Keenan Allen and DJ Moore would do together in the offense.

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Cowboys pick up Micah Parsons's fifth-year option - NBC Sports

The Cowboys have exercised the fifth-year option for Micah Parsons, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Per the report, the option is based on Parsons as a defensive end, not a linebacker. It will pay him $21.32 million for 2025, fully guaranteed.

If Parsons had been characterized as a linebacker, he would have been in line for even more in 2025.

The designation technically is made by the league, based on the player’s snaps in the prior year. Now that the lower number has been applied to Parsons, it’s possible if not likely that a grievance will be filed.

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Report- Extension for Jared Goff is not close - NBC Sports

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that no deal between Goff and the Lions is imminent. Goff is in the final year of a four-year extension he signed while with the Rams before being traded to the Lions ahead of the 2021 season.

It was unclear at the time of that deal how long Goff would be in the picture in Detroit, but he has played well over the last three seasons and will be positioned for a much longer run than just about anyone anticipated once the two sides can find the common ground that St. Brown and Sewell were able to find in their own talks with the team.

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Illinois governor is "skeptical" the Bears' stadium plan is a good deal for taxpayers - NBC Sports

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said today that he doesn’t see why taxpayers should foot the bill for a significant portion of the project.

“I remain skeptical about this proposal, and I wonder whether it’s a good deal for the taxpayers,” Pritzker said, via the Chicago Tribune. “There are a lot of priorities that the state has, and I’m not sure that this is among the highest priorities for taxpayers.”

The Bears want taxpayers to pay about half of the $4.6 billion projected costs of the full project, which includes both the stadium itself and significant infrastructure upgrades around the stadium. Pritzker said the Chiefs’ recent failure to get taxpayers to pay for their stadium upgrades shows that the public thinks sports teams should pay for their own stadiums. Pritzker has also expressed skepticism of a proposal from the Chicago White Sox that would involve taxpayers contributing to the costs of a new ballpark.

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Frustration emerges over Bengals stadium lease negotiations - NBC Sports

According to Scott Wartman of the Cincinnati Enquirer, communications between the team and Hamilton County reveal growing frustrations between the team and the governmental entity responsible for the stadium.

“The team has grown concerned that there really isn’t political will for any deal,” Bengals Vice President Troy Blackburn wrote on August 8, 2023 to Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto, following a meeting regarding a lease extension.

The Hamilton County Commissioners have since agreed to make $39 million in repairs and renovations, including new turf and club seating. Blackburn wanted much more than that, with the county committing $300 million to improvements and the Bengals adding $50 million.

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At least 10 offensive linemen are likely to go in the first round tonight - NBC Sports

The 2024 NFL draft betting odds have the over-under set at 9.5 offensive linemen taken in Round 1, and the over is a -182 favorite. So the betting world expects at least 10 linemen to hear their names called tonight.

Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt is a heavy -550 favorite to be the first offensive lineman selected. The others with odds to be the first offensive linemen drafted are Alabama tackle J.C. Latham at +340, Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu at +2500, Oregon State tackle Taliese Fuaga at +4500, Washington tackle Troy Fautanu at +6000 and and Georgia tackle Amarius Mims at +10,000.

Expect a run on those offensive tackles somewhere in the early-to-middle first round, and a few other linemen to hear their names called tonight as well.

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NFL to open training academy for young players in Australia - NBC Sports

The league announced on Thursday that a NFL Academy will open on Australia’s Gold Coast later this year. The academy will be housed at A.B. Paterson college and will offer young players between 12 and 18 a full-time education as well as intensive football training. The initiative also includes the construction of a high-performance facility that is set to open in 2026.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata is an Australian native and he will serve as an ambassador for the project.

“Football has changed my life, and opening an NFL Academy in Australia will no doubt help many more young people change theirs,” Mailata said in a statement. “The Asia-Pacific region is rich in sporting talent, and I look forward to seeing the next generation of football players out there craft their own pathway to playing in the NFL in the years to come.”

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Report- Commanders won't pick up Jamin Davis's fifth-year option - NBC Sports

The Commanders are set to use the second overall pick in the first round on Thursday night and the hope in Washington is that their choice will work out better than their 2021 selection.

Linebacker Jamin Davis was the 19th overall choice that year and he’s started 36 games over the last three seasons, but his production hasn’t been at the level one looks for at that point in the draft. As a result, it’s not a great surprise that Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports that the Commanders will decline their fifth-year option on Davis’s contract.

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Report- Patriots, Christian Barmore discussing extension - NBC Sports

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the team is discussing a contract extension with defensive tackle Christian Barmore. Barmore was a 2021 second-round pick and he is in the final year of his rookie deal.

Barmore has only started 11 games over the last three seasons, but he’s played more than half of the team’s defensive snaps in two of those years. That number spiked in 2023 when Barmore played two-thirds of the team’s snaps.

Barmore has 133 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 32 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in 44 overall appearances.

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Commanders will retire Darrell Green's number during 2024 season - NBC Sports

Cornerback Darrell Green wore No. 28 throughout his standout career in Washington and no one will ever wear the number for the franchise again.

The Commanders announced on Thursday that Green’s number will be retired during the 2024 regular season. Green was surprised with the news during a visit to the team facility that he thought was related to this year’s draft.

“I’m humbly grateful,” Green said, via the team’s website. “I feel like crying just thinking about it right now. This means a lot to me. . . . I would’ve never dreamed this. I was so shocked. It’s almost like it breathed life into me. I have never been so surprised, shocked. My head is still spinning, but I am a million percent humbled.”

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Patriots are currently expected to use third pick, on Drake Maye

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Report- Cowboys interested in Texas RB Jonathon Brooks but concerned Eagles are, too

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Crowd in downtown Detroit already is over 150,000