TAMPA, Fla. — Even as Liam Coen was officially being named the Jaguars' head coach Friday afternoon, there was a twist from the typical playbook.

An NFL insider said that Coen felt “strong-armed” into agreeing to a deal to withdraw his name from consideration for the Jacksonville job by agreeing with the Bucs to become the highest-paid ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The heartwarming video was shot seven years ago but has been making the rounds again lately. It's of the late Kobe Bryant at home and gleefully watching his hometown Philadelphia Eagles win their first Lombardi Trophy.

It was shot in 2018 by Bryant's wife, Vanessa, and originally posted on her Instagram account. The legendary ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders have reached an agreement to hire former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Carroll, 73, replaces Antonio Pierce, who was fired Jan. 7 after one full season as coach.

The deal between the Raiders and Carroll is for three years with a fourth-year team option.

Carroll ...Read more

BOSTON — A Quincy District Court jury composed of five women and one man unanimously found New England Patriot safety Jabrill Peppers not guilty on all assault counts against him.

They took roughly an hour to deliberate the case against Peppers, 29, who lives in Braintree. They were released just before 1 p.m. after closing arguments and ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During the 1990s, the Fox television show “The X-Files” took a deep dive into conspiracy theories.

“The X-Files” was a commercial and critical success, and episodes focused on government cover-ups, aliens, and at one point, football.

In one episode, there was a discussion among government officials about fixing the...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes didn’t bring any receipts this time. But the Lions’ general manager didn’t come with many regrets, either, other than the obvious one: His team didn’t reach its ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.

And while Holmes wasn’t hiding his disappointment after the Lions’ “humbling” playoff exit —...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A distant era back yet merely five years ago, the Chiefs’ playoff history was among the most tormented in the NFL. And Andy Reid was a 62-year-old coach with a neon void on an otherwise stellar resume.

Through the half century since their last Super Bowl berth, for those joining us late, the Chiefs were 5-17 in postseason...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Maybe A.J. Brown never reads a book on the sidelines if Moro Ojomo didn’t answer his door 11 years ago.

Ojomo, now an Eagles defensive tackle, didn’t go out for the football team as a freshman at Katy High School near Houston. He learned the sport after emigrating from Nigeria when he was 8, struggled, and decided he had ...Read more

BUFFALO, N.Y. — People here are accustomed to this week's weather, in which the roads are like bunny slopes and the flake-filled skies occasionally are illuminated by a flash of lightning followed by an ominous roll of thunder. There's a name for it: thundersnow, and sometimes the visibility is so poor you can see only a couple of car lengths ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — One day after withdrawing his name from consideration for the Jaguars' head coaching job to remain in Tampa Bay as one of the league’s highest paid offensive coordinators, Liam Coen has become the Bucs' latest runaway bride.

Coen secretly flew to Jacksonville to meet with Jaguars owner Shad Khan, and the two sides were working...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts continues to trend in the right direction toward playing in Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders.

The 26-year-old quarterback, who is dealing with a knee injury, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report. The practice marked the Eagles’ ...Read more

CHICAGO — A month ago, Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey sat through a nightmarish loss to the Seattle Seahawks that was punctuated with fans at Soldier Field chanting “Sell the team.”

McCaskey didn’t take the hint, and on Wednesday he was back in their good graces, relatively speaking, after the hiring of Ben Johnson as their new ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Tennessee Titans don’t sound like they are set on drafting a “generational talent” with April’s No. 1 overall pick.

They sound like they’d prefer to trade out.

Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker is getting a lot of attention for saying on Wednesday that “if there’s a generational talent” ...Read more

I didn’t mind 2-2 straight-up last week. Ravens-Bills was a crapshoot; still think the better team lost. And I’d pick Lions over Commanders again. But no excuses ATS. At least I avoided a complete shutout by salvaging a push with Eagles winning by 6. Three games left in the postseason. No more misses allowed!

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Divisional round: 2-...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams coach Sean McVay, typically unflappable during news conferences, did not look or sound like his usual self.

Last April, on the first night of the 2024 NFL draft, news leaked that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford wanted his contract adjusted. The public disclosure unsettled McVay and general manager Les Snead that evening ...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff turned in one of the best season's of his career in 2024, and he's an MVP finalist because of it.

Goff, who is a finalist along with fellow quarterbacks Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), and running back Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley might strike fear in the hearts of NFL opponents, but it turns out the Philadelphia Eagles star is a really nice guy.

And Rachel Panek has the gold medal to prove it.

Roll back the clock to a Pennsylvania high school track meet in 2015 when Panek was a sophomore hurdler for Saucon Valley High and Barkley was a ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Mark Andrews broke his silence.

The Ravens’ highly regarded, veteran tight end did not speak to reporters Sunday night in Buffalo after dropping a potential game-tying 2-point conversion in Baltimore’s AFC divisional round loss. Nor did he make himself available to reporters the following afternoon at the team’s locker room ...Read more

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups this week in the NFC and AFC championship games. Lines according to FanDuel Sportsbook (O/U = over/under). Farmer had a regular-season winning percentage of .695 and, using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, .533 against the spread. Record for the divisional round of the ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It was the Miami Dolphins’ opening drive in one of the biggest games of the season, Buffalo. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a pass behind wide receiver Grant DuBose. It bounced off DuBose’s shoulder and was intercepted, setting the stage for a disappointing Dolphins loss (31-10) and a disappointing Dolphins season (...Read more