NFL

9:39 AM ET PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers want Ben Roethlisberger back, and he wants to return. Team president Art Rooney II acknowledged the mutual desire between the Steelers and their longtime quarterback in a statement Wednesday morning. “Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting” Rooney said. “We were

7:00 AM ET Don Van Natta Jr. Close ESPN Senior Writer Host and co-executive producer of the new ESPN series, “Backstory” Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to

7:15 AM ET NFL NationESPN Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones and Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry are targets for the NFL franchise-tag designation entering the 2021 season. Prior to NFL free agency starting March 17, each of the 32 teams must evaluate whether they will place

6:00 AM ET Joe Namath went to dinner with Leon Hess and his wife early in 1977. They’d been together a dozen years and Namath, the New York Jets‘ Super Bowl-winning quarterback, needed to have a talk with the owner he cared about so deeply. It was a tough conversation, one Namath didn’t necessarily want

6:56 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN SEATTLE — As much as linebacker K.J. Wright wants to return for an 11th season with the Seattle Seahawks and finish his career with the team that drafted him, he doesn’t want to do so on anything other than a market-value contract. Wright made that latter point known in an

2:36 PM ET PITTSBURGH — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, sources told ESPN. Tomlin, 48, was diagnosed last week. The Steelers could not confirm the head coach’s diagnosis but said members of the coaching staff and personnel were sent home from the facility last week after a couple of positives came

6:00 AM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The most likely scenario at quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2021 is still Drew Lock, despite any and all calls that have been made. Doesn’t mean that won’t change if one of those calls turns into something more. And it doesn’t mean the Broncos won’t pursue a quarterback

6:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL: 1. Weis loves Mac: The last thing former New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis wants to do is preach to the Patriots about what they should do at quarterback this offseason. In his trademark blunt way, he characterized

6:00 AM ET FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets: 1. QB options: With Carson Wentz reportedly on his way to the Indianapolis Colts in the latest blockbuster quarterback trade, the spotlight shifts to the Jets and Sam Darnold. Do they join the carousel by dealing Darnold or

6:00 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — OK, Carson Wentz has been traded. What’s the plan at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and how does it include Jalen Hurts? The questions become the central focus of the offseason now that Wentz Watch wrapped with a deal to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round draft pick in 2021

9:14 PM ET Associated Press VISTA, Calif. — Former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II agreed Friday to accept a 14-year prison sentence for raping a homeless woman and assaulting two other women. Winslow, 37, agreed to changes to a previous guilty plea in order to avoid a potential 18-year sentence. In 2019, Winslow was

4:31 PM ET GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers released a pair of veteran starters, offensive tackle Rick Wagner and linebacker Christian Kirksey, on Friday as they continued to shed salary-cap burdens. Even if the Packers weren’t over the projected cap, both players would have been strong candidates for release considering their uneven

4:28 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — Receiver DeSean Jackson took to social media Friday to signal he’s been released by the Philadelphia Eagles. “Looking forward to my next chapter,” Jackson posted on Instagram Story. “Philadelphia it’s always Love. Appreciate Everything.” The Eagles acquired the 34-year-old Jackson from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, reuniting the deep-threat

8:26 PM ET Calling his five years with the team “an amazing journey,” quarterback Carson Wentz bid farewell to the Eagles, his former teammates and the city of Philadelphia on Friday. Wentz published a lengthy post on his Instagram account one day after league sources told ESPN he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for

6:00 AM ET PITTSBURGH — With the final cap number in flux and free agency and the NFL draft still ahead of them, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a long way from finalizing their 2021 roster. But one thing is certain: They will add another quarterback to the room. The future of Ben Roethlisberger, who will

11:02 AM ET The Carolina Panthers have informed starting safety Tre Boston on Friday that they are releasing him, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Boston, 28, was third on the Panthers with 95 tackles last season. He also had an interception, a sack and two fumble recoveries. Boston has played seven seasons with the

9:00 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson might have died in his Florida hotel room up to three days before being pronounced dead there, according to new information released by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner on Thursday. Jackson, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver, was found

9:53 AM ET ESPN News Services The NFL has informed teams that the salary cap for the 2021 season will be no less than $180 million, a slight increase from last year’s previous agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association. The NFL had a $198.2 million salary cap in 2020, but the league