NFL

7:52 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed disappointment Thursday that only two minorities were hired for seven head-coach openings despite a growing pool of qualified candidates. “I’m not sure there’s an issue we spent more time with our ownership on,” Goodell said as part of his annual state-of-the-league address ahead of

4:55 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs had 20 people, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, other players and staff members, in line for a haircut Sunday with a barber who tested positive for COVID-19, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Backup Chiefs center Daniel Kilgore was mid-haircut when the Chiefs pulled the barber, once his

10:00 AM ET What’s the most popular prop bet for the big game? The coin toss, of course. Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports With kickoff of the Super Bowl just minutes away, the scene inside the backroom of the Las Vegas sportsbook is intense. Bookmakers stare at their computers, and an executive paces back and forth, already

6:11 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes might someday be satisfied with Tom Brady’s Super Bowl championship accomplishments. For now, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback will settle for a place where Brady was much earlier in his career. Mahomes just wants what for him will be Super Bowl victory No. 2. “The goal

1:16 PM ET So much for Sean Payton’s poker face. The New Orleans Saints coach didn’t try to cloak the team’s desire to re-sign free agent quarterback Jameis Winston if Drew Brees retires as expected. Payton spoke glowingly about Winston to ESPN and other media outlets while doing some Super Bowl week appearances on Wednesday,

6:00 AM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It would be odd to think of the Kansas City Chiefs as underdogs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs have a lot going for them, most notably the fact they have won 25 of their past 27 games, including last year’s Super Bowl.

6:00 AM ET Lindsey ThiryESPN Close Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times Previously covered the Falcons Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay decided he wanted a new quarterback. He set his sights on the Detroit Lions‘ Matthew Stafford and

6:47 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — When I was about 5 years old and started to show an interest in football, I asked my dad, “Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a real football team? Like a real one?” That was when Bucco Bruce and Creamsicle jerseys weren’t the cherished heirlooms and retro fads they are

6:45 AM ET Super Bowl LV pitting the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers is nearly upon us. There already is playoff trivia that links the quarterbacks: Tom Brady is the only quarterback to beat Patrick Mahomes in the postseason (2018 AFC Championship Game). Each of them also already is

2:31 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has said repeatedly throughout his career that he would like to play until age 45. But now, at the age of 43, and preparing to play in his 10th Super Bowl and first with the Bucs, he is open to playing beyond that.

4:47 PM ET ESPN News Services The Kansas City Chiefs have placed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and backup center Daniel Kilgore on the reserve/COVID-19 list due to close contact. The roster moves mark the first coronavirus-related issues ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl. If they are officially designated only as close contacts, Robinson and Kilgore could

6:55 AM ET NFL NationESPN Thirty other NFL teams want to be in the position of the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — one win away from a Super Bowl title and the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Unlike the Chiefs and Bucs, the biggest obstacle facing many teams in getting to championship contention is

6:00 AM ET Bob McClellanNFL (Editor’s note: ESPN’s Bob McClellan grew up in Central Florida, and his father bought six Buccaneers season tickets in 1976. His brother maintains four of them to this day.) This will be the 10th time I’ve watched quarterback Tom Brady in a Super Bowl, but the first time I’ve rooted

10:04 PM ET Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is heading to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and a multitude of draft picks, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday night. The Lions will receive a third-round pick in 2021, a first-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023

6:00 AM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Eric Bieniemy was a free-agent running back in 1999, he had some relatively lucrative contract offers with other teams. He instead signed a deal for the minimum salary with the Philadelphia Eagles so he could play for their new head coach, an obscure former assistant by the

12:24 AM ET As news broke Saturday night of the blockbuster trade between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams that sent swapped former overall No. 1 draft picks, former teammates and opponents of Matthew Stafford reacted to the trade. The trade saw multiple future No. 1 picks and quarterback Jared Goff go to the

5:44 PM ET Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford considers the Los Angeles Rams a viable contender in his trade market, sources told ESPN on Friday. While it’s unclear what the Rams can do with quarterback Jared Goff‘s long-term deal on the books, they’ve inquired about Stafford’s services and explored what it would take to get

8:08 PM ET The NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them. More interviews didn’t equal more hirings this offseason. According to an analysis of candidates known to have interviewed for seven head-coaching openings this month, 11 were minorities and 16