Big 12 head coaching turnover includes 1st-timers at alma maters and national title winner By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer The Associated Press FRISCO, Texas
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The largest turnover of Big 12 head coaches in seven seasons includes two first-timers at their alma maters, a national championship winner and another who last season almost got a Group of Five team into the College Football Playoff.
“I grew up a Big 12 kid," new Kansas State coach Collin Klein said Wednesday. “And being able to be part of this conference as a fan, as a player, as a coach, and now being part of helping move our game and our conference forward is absolutely tremendous.”
Klein, part of Big 12 titles at K-State as a Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback in 2012 and then an assistant coach a decade later, returned to Manhattan after Chris Klieman unexpectedly decided to step away last December. Klieman was among the newcomers in 2019 , when the league last had four new coaches at the same time.
The other coaching changes this time are Utah alumnus Morgan Scalley, who nearly two decades ago recruited Klein as a quarterback, Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State and Eric Morris at Oklahoma State.
Scalley has been part of Utah's staff since being a graduate assistant in 2007, three years after his last game as a defensive back for the Utes. He was their defensive coordinator for 10 seasons before his debut as head coach in a Las Vegas Bowl victory last New Year's Eve, following Kyle Whittingham's surprise departure after 21 seasons and then becoming Michigan's coach.
Klein's recruiting visit to Utah
It was while recruiting the Colorado area as a graduate assistant that Scalley saw “this quarterback that I absolutely loved.” But since GAs can't do off-campus recruiting, he couldn't go see Klein in person.
“So I had him come to us, and on his own dime he flew out, showed up on campus in a suit and tie and left without an offer," Scalley recalled Wednesday. "But you know who offered him? Kansas State. It was Collin Klein. Isn’t that crazy?”
Klein still remembers the visit, including lunch at a burger joint in downtown Salt Lake City with Brian Johnson, then going into his senior season as the Utes QB.
“Coach Scalley was tremendous. I mean, he was an unbelievable relationship builder, energy, detailed," Klein said. “I knew he was going to be an unbelievable coach. I had no idea we’d end up coaching against each other in the same league as head coaches.”
Klein’s coaching career began as a GA at his alma mater in 2014, and he has since remained at Kansas State, except in 2016 as Northern Iowa's QBs coach, and the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, which made the 12-team playoff last year.
Close to where Rogers won FCS title
After last season at Washington State, Rogers made his debut at Big 12 football media days 18 months after leading South Dakota State, his alma mater, to the FCS national championship . That title game was played only about four miles from the headquarters of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, where the conference's annual two-day event wrapped up Wednesday.
“This is a perfect fit for me. I’m a big people person. I’ve recruited the state for seven years when I was at my prior tenure at South Dakota State, had a prior relationship with (athletic director) Jamie Pollard and felt really confident about the leadership that was in place here,” Rogers said. “(Another) portion of that is the opportunity to compete at a Power 4 school and to compete in the Big 12. ... You win this conference, you punch your ticket into the College Football Playoff, you have an opportunity to compete for a national championship. That is the goal.”
Rogers replaced Matt Campbell, who left Iowa State after 10 seasons for Penn State.
From Denton to Stillwater
Morris took 21 players with him from North Texas, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker , the national passing leader last season as a freshman with 4,379 yards. The Mean Green were ranked for the only time since 1959 and missed out on a CFP berth after losing to Tulane in the American Conference championship game . The Green Wave made the playoff.
Before Mestemaker, Morris had coached quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward and Baker Mayfield in college. The coach now takes over an Oklahoma State team that has lost 19 Big 12 games in a row — a streak that began with a 49-21 loss to Texas in the 2023 championship game before the Cowboys went 0-9 in Big 12 play each of the past seasons.
“Super-excited for Stillwater. It was a big draw for me and my family to come to Stillwater,” Morris said. "I’m from a small town in west Texas, and that’s how I wanted raise my family. So Stillwater has been nothing short of amazing. Super genuine people, hard-working, blue-collar organization.”
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Adam Vinatieri will celebrate on the field in Indianapolis again as Colts' Ring of Honor member By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Adam Vinatieri, the NFL's career scoring leader who was also widely considered the best clutch kicker in league history, will have one more celebration on the Indianapolis Colts' home turf this season when he's inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.
Team officials announced Wednesday that Vinatieri would be honored during the Colts' game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 18, a little more than two months after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Vinatieri will become the Colts' 21st Ring of Honor honoree five years after he officially retired.
He'll join a group that includes former teammates and fellow Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney, as well as Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne. Tony Dungy, the Hall of Fame coach for whom Vinatieri played; Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, who signed Vinatieri as a free agent before the 2006 season; and late team owner Jim Irsay are also in the Colts' ring.
The four-time Super Bowl champion shocked many when he left New England as the franchise's career scoring leader after 10 seasons and wound up with longtime rival Indianapolis. But Vinatieri was far from finished and went on to break the Colts' career scoring mark, too.
Though Vinatieri's stats tell one tale: He finished his career with 2,673 points and as the league's all-time leader in field goals made (599), field goal attempts (715), consecutive field goals made (44) and 100-plus point seasons (21). But it was his penchant for making kicks in the toughest conditions and most crucial moments that stuck with him.
His 45-yard field goal into swirling winds amid snowy conditions for New England in a January 2002 AFC divisional round game tied it and sent the Patriots into overtime against the then-Oakland Raiders. He then kicked a 23-yarder to start New England's trek to coach Bill Belichick's first Super Bowl.
Two weeks later, Vinatieri did it again by making a 43-yarder in the waning seconds to give the Patriots their first Super Bowl title with a 20-17 victory over the then-St. Louis Rams in much more ideal conditions.
Vinatieri 41-yarder with 4 seconds left broke a 29-29 tie with the Carolina Panthers for New England's second Super Bowl title two years later.
Vinatieri continued to excel in Indy, where he first played inside a dome stadium and later a retractable roof stadium.
In January 2007, the South Dakota State alum made five field goals in a divisional round game that featured no touchdowns at Baltimore. The 15-6 victory set up an AFC title game rematch between the Colts and Patriots, this time in Indy with Vinatieri on the opposite sideline from Tom Brady and his ex-teammates. Vinatieri's playoff run continued as the Colts reached their first Super Bowl since the franchise moved to Indianapolis.
Vinatieri made three more field goals and captured yet another ring while finishing that postseason with 49 points and 14 field goals, both one-season playoff records, while becoming the first player to make three or more field goals in four consecutive postseason games.
Vinatieri ranks second all-time in NFL victories (242), regular-season wins (221) and postseason wins (21) and is one of five players who appeared in a game at age 46. He's the only player in league history to make 250 or more field goals and scored 1,000 points for two teams.
The three-time All-Pro also was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
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Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Kneeland had early stage CTE at time of death By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer The Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide in November 2025 after a high-speed chase with police, had early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain abnormality linked to repeated head trauma, his family announced Tuesday.
The Boston University CTE Center, which investigates the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and others, analyzed Kneeland's brain tissue after his death. Researchers determined Kneeland, who was 24, was in stage one of four of CTE.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
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CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in athletes in contact sports, combat veterans and others who experience repetitive blows to the head. It has been known to cause violent mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression. It can be diagnosed only after death.
“While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with,” Kneeland’s family, including his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, said in a statement issued through the Concussion and CTE Foundation.
“Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love,” the family said.
The abnormality has also been linked to deaths in the National Football League, as well as in hockey and soccer.
Kneeland shot himself after evading authorities in his vehicle and fleeing a car crash on foot.
The chase happened after police said Kneeland didn’t stop for Texas Department of Public Safety troopers over a traffic violation. Authorities lost sight of the vehicle before locating it crashed minutes later.
As authorities were looking for Kneeland after he fled the crash site on foot, a dispatcher told officers that people who knew him had received a group text from Kneeland “saying goodbye,” indicating he might be suicidal.
Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, noted Kneeland's diagnosis comes even amid a modern era of concussion protocols in professional and college athletics and better safety equipment.
Kneeland started playing tackle football when he was 7 years old. He played at Western Michigan University before he was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.
“We have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations. Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions,” Nowinski said. “If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”
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Cornerback Rasul Douglas agrees to a 1-year contract with the Commanders, AP source says By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
Veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas has agreed to terms with the Washington Commanders on a contract for next season, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the contract had not yet been signed.
Douglas, who turns 31 on Aug. 29, returns to the NFC East after beginning his NFL career in the division with Philadelphia. A third-round pick in 2017, he helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl in his rookie year.
With Washington coming off a season in which it ranked last in the league on defense, general manager Adam Peters has been active in adding talent on that side of the ball. Douglas is the latest addition after signing safety Nick Cross, cornerback Amik Robertson, edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson and linebacker Leo Chenal and drafting Sonny Styles with the seventh pick.
Douglas played in 15 and started 13 games for the Miami Dolphins last season, finishing with two interceptions and 62 tackles. He made previous stops with Buffalo, Green Bay and Carolina after leaving Philadelphia and has played in 146 career games, counting the playoffs, since turning pro.
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Teammates of Travis Kelce and others around sports attend his wedding to Taylor Swift By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer The Associated Press NEW YORK
NEW YORK (AP) — JuJu Smith-Schuster was there. So was Cooper Kupp, fresh off winning the Super Bowl.
NFL players and other prominent sports figures made up part of the star-studded crowd for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Kareem Hunt was one of Kelce's many current or former Kansas City Chiefs teammates spotted in New York ahead of the wedding, which was expected to also be attended by Kelce's retired Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning brother Jason , San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and others from football, golf and beyond.
Soccer even had a presence, albeit in the form of “Ted Lasso” actor Jason Sudeikis, himself a big Chiefs fan.
The wedding is taking place at the home arena of the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s Rangers. Swift attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals there, sitting courtside as the Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback at that stage of the playoffs in league history by rallying from down 29 to beat San Antonio.
MSG has been the site of some iconic sports moments since the current version opened at this location atop Penn Station in 1968.
The Knicks won their first NBA title there in 1970, when Willis Reed famously returned from injury to spark their Game 7 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali there in the first of the legends' three boxing matches against each other, the “Fight of the Century,” in 1971. Ali won the rematch in '74.
The Rangers ended their 54-year championship drought at the Garden in 1994, defeating the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.
Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion with Kansas City and a four-time AP All-Pro selection at his position. Jason was a seven-time All-Pro center who helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl in the 2017 season.
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Lions looking at options at cornerback after releasing Terrion Arnold as he faces felony charges By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
The Detroit Lions seemed to be prepared to potentially play without Terrion Arnold , putting the cornerback on the field with backups during minicamp in mid-June.
And suddenly, Arnold is a former player for the franchise.
Detroit released Arnold on Monday, the same day a Florida judge set his bail at $1 million as he faces eight felony charges tied to allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men.
The move leaves the Lions with eight players they list as cornerbacks on the roster, including three players with a combined 164 games of starting experience in the NFL.
D.J. Reed , Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary will likely compete to start when the season kicks off in September.
The team is hopeful Ennis Rakestraw, who was drafted in the second round two years ago, can contribute after missing last season following shoulder surgery and being limited to eight games as a rookie due to hamstring and ankle injuries.
“We still got Reed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said in March, months before the team cut ties with Arnold. “We like (Rakestraw) coming back. I know it’s unproven right now, but, he’s had a good offseason to this point. We got Rock (Ya-Sin) and McCreary.
"We’ve got some things there.”
Some notable cornerbacks are still available in free agency, but four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore and 2021 All-Pro Trevon Diggs are coming off at least three injury-shortened seasons.
Kenny Moore II might be a fit after asking the Indianapolis Colts to trade him and getting released in May. The 30-year-old Moore started seven games last season and has 111 career starts for the Colts over nine seasons, including 2021, when he earned Pro Bowl recognition.
Detroit drafted Arnold with the No. 24 pick overall in 2024, when the NFL draft was in the Motor City and the former Alabama star sported a big smile and an electric salmon silk suit . He had two years left on his four-year rookie contract.
Arnold had an uneven rookie season, defending 10 passes in 15 starts without an interception. He picked off one pass last season while he was limited to eight games due to a concussion and shoulder injury.
A month after the season ended for the Lions, prosecutors in Florida say, Arnold arranged for three men to be pistol-whipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.
In March, Campbell said the Lions believed Arnold was not involved in the alleged crime based on the information they had at that time.
“I feel like we're going to be good here,” Campbell told reporters. “I’m going to trust what the kid said.”
Two months later, Arnold's stock with the team seemed to slip as he was not on the field with the No. 1 defense during offseason workouts while working his way back from the shoulder injury.
“We got a lot of good guys in that room and he knows this," Campbell said on June 17. "He's got to earn it."
Before the Lions released Arnold, the judge did not require him to wear an ankle monitor because it would have prevented him from taking the field for games and training. Harvey Steinberg, an attorney for Arnold, argued in court Monday that prosecutors are “not even close” to showing that Arnold knew or directed what his associates would do.
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Deion Sanders says he feels like his old self a year after surgery: 'I consider myself cancer-free' By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press BOULDER, Colo.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders says he feels like his old — and younger — self again a year after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder .
“I consider myself cancer-free," thanks to robotic surgery that also reconstructed his bladder using part of his intestine, Sanders told The Associated Press after getting a tutorial in the surgical system that was used in his operation.
This being Men's Health Awareness Month, the University of Colorado football coach wanted to get a first-hand look at the Intuitive Da Vinci System, which is less invasive than open surgeries and cuts down on hospital stays and speeds recoveries.
“I was fighting” last year at this time, Sanders recalled. "I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back. But this expedited the process. Last year at this time I was in a whole different place, and I'm just thankful.”
Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments. The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter .
This summer he appears much fitter and energetic as he oversees offseason training.
"If I pull my shirt up, I'm not scarred, it's not flawed. I'm not embarrassed by anything that transpired. I'm elated by everything that transpired,” Sanders said.
At a routine checkup last spring, a CT scan showed a mass on Sanders' bladder. He was referred to the University of Colorado Anschutz, where he met Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
Sanders, who turns 59 later this summer, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his bladder. Although the tumor hadn't reached the muscle layer in his bladder, it was considered “very high risk,” with a 50-50 chance of recurring or progressing after treatments.
Kukreja is among the small group of surgeons in the U.S. who perform robotic removal of the entire cancerous bladder — called a radical cystectomy — and robotic reconstruction of the organ, which involves having a section of intestine function as a bladder.
“It got me back in the game, got me back on my feet and got me out of the darn hospital and back into the normalcy of my life," Sanders said. “I'm here to let people know there's another option if you need surgery."
He called the robotic system his time machine.
”I'd be a fool to be blessed the way I was blessed and not sound alarms," Sanders said. “When I opened up a club years ago I went to the mountaintop and told all the stations come on to the nightclub. So, why wouldn't I do this? Saved me time so I could get back on the field, get back on my game instead of sitting up there in the hospital having a pity party. It saves you time. That’s what we’re all fighting for is time. We never know how much we get.”
Football past and present
Sanders has spent time recently with his son Shedeur, who's entering his second year with the Cleveland Browns and who will compete for the starting job with Deshaun Watson in training camp.
“He's on vacation, but he's going to the hills in St. Croix right now doing gassers," Sanders said.
Asked what he thought about Hunter, entering his second season in Jacksonville, possibly focusing on playing defensive back after pulling double duty as a DB and wide receiver in college, Sanders said: “I just want him to be happy. I can't tell those coaches how to coach and Travis what he's gifted to do. I just want him happy; that's all I want.”
As for Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the Buffs' starting quarterback and former five-star recruit out of Carrollton, Georgia, who took over the starting role as a freshman late last season, Sanders said those cameos will pay dividends in 2026.
“I think the entire team is benefiting" from lessons learned last year and new faces arriving this spring, Sanders said. “I have the best coaching staff I've ever featured. Everybody's unified. I just walked out of the weight room. They're lifting their butts off and they can't wait to go to camp. It's going to be phenomenal.”
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Federal judge David Doty, whose 1992 ruling paved the way for modern NFL free agency, has died at 96 By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — David Doty, the U.S. District Judge who directed numerous NFL labor matters in his Minneapolis courtroom and made a 1992 ruling that paved the way for modern free agency , has died. He was 96.
District of Minnesota officials announced that Doty died on Saturday, three days before his birthday. No cause was given.
“Judge Doty devoted his life to public service and the law, presiding over NFL-related litigation for many years during his distinguished career,” the league said in a statement issued after his death. "We express our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the federal bench in 1987, Doty gained senior status in 1998 and continued to handle cases until a few months before his death. After serving six years in the Marines, Doty earned his law degree in 1961 from the University of Minnesota before 26 years in private practice.
He presided over thousands of civil and criminal cases during his judicial career, including several landmark NFL management-union disputes with a down-to-earth and pleasant demeanor that could turn stern if he felt the lawyers arguing in front of him needed to be redirected.
“Judge Doty devoted his entire professional life to serving others — as a Marine, as a lawyer who served not only clients but his community in many ways, and as a U.S. District Judge for nearly four decades. Despite his remarkable accomplishments, he was a genuinely humble man,” Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said. "He treated everyone — from the guy who shined his shoes to Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court — the same way: with kindness and compassion and a sincere interest in their lives. I will particularly miss his sense of humor. He always had a smile on his face.”
After a 1987 player strike that interrupted the regular season, the NFL Players Association filed suit over the league's restrictive rules around free agency, and Doty was assigned to the case.
Urging both parties to continue bargaining, Doty initially sided with the NFL by refusing to turn loose some 300 players from their teams onto the open market. In 1990, however, he granted them freedom to pursue individual antitrust cases against the league.
In 1992, the limited free agency system the owners had implemented in absence of a collective bargaining agreement — "Plan B" allowed teams to protect 37 players from signing elsewhere — was struck down by a jury of eight women.
After the trial that lasted more than three months with 16 hours of deliberation, Doty then ruled in favor of a handful of players who'd filed suit for unrestricted free agency. The following year, star defensive end Reggie White led a class-action lawsuit against the league that sparked fresh negotiations between the two sides.
The eventual settlement created the next collective bargaining agreement that included more permissive free agency and a salary cap system to pacify owners concerned about skyrocketing payroll costs. White, an eight-time All-Pro who landed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after his death in 2004, left the Philadelphia Eagles to sign with the Green Bay Packers. He helped lead them to a Super Bowl title after his fourth season with the club.
That 1993 agreement that was trumped by the new CBA in 2011 is at the root of the league's competitive parity and widespread popularity that continues to soar some 33 years later. Doty continued for decades to maintain jurisdiction over the labor disputes that weren't resolved through the league's own arbitration process — from money matters to player discipline.
Doty ruled in 2008 that then-jailed quarterback Michael Vick could keep more than $16 million in bonus money the Atlanta Falcons tried to recoup after he pleaded guilty to federal charges for running a dogfighting operation. He also sided with the NFLPA and running back Adrian Peterson in 2015 in his appeal of a suspension by the league following the child abuse case against him.
Doty didn't always favor the union. He denied in 2012 a motion to reopen the White agreement in a collusion case against the league that was kept alive in appeals court. After Doty recused himself from that case in 2014, Doty's colleague U.S. District Judge Michael Davis rejected anew the claim of a secret 2010 cap on player salaries.
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Brandon Aiyuk says he will sign with the Commanders if the 49ers grant his wish for a release By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk said he would sign immediately with the Washington Commanders if the San Francisco 49ers grant his wish and release him.
Aiyuk is currently on the reserve/left squad list after he stopped showing up late last season as he rehabilitates a knee injury that has sidelined him since October 2024. Aiyuk wants to be released, but the Niners have shown no urgency to make a move even though general manager John Lynch has said he doesn’t expect Aiyuk to play for the team again.
“Tell them boys cut me today and I’ll sign with the Commanders tomorrow,” Aiyuk said on social media Wednesday.
The Commanders haven't commented on Aiyuk's status while he remains under contract to San Francisco and haven't indicated that they would sign him if he becomes available.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with San Francisco just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract “hold in” that kept him out of practice that summer.
Aiyuk played seven games and caught 25 passes that season before going down with a season-ending knee injury and the acrimony between the sides only increased. The 49ers voided $27 million guaranteed in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026 last summer because he failed to participate in meetings and other team activities.
Aiyuk then left the team late in the season and has not talked to coach Kyle Shanahan or Lynch since then, communicating only through social media messages, calling the team “stupid” for paying him so much money.
Aiyuk could put pressure on the 49ers to make a decision if he shows up when the 49ers report to training camp on July 25. Until he reports, the 49ers can keep him on the reserve list without him counting to the salary cap or the roster limits.
Aiyuk has three years remaining on the four-year, $120 million extension he signed last year, including a nearly $25 million option bonus due before the start of this season. But he now has no guaranteed money remaining and won’t be owed anything unless he reports to the team.
The 28-year-old Aiyuk has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 TDs since being drafted in the first round in 2020.
Aiyuk recently had an arrest warrant issued by Santa Clara County on a misdemeanor charge of exhibition of speeding in response to a video Aiyuk posted to social media last December that appeared to show him speeding on the road in front of Levi’s Stadium.
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Falcons agree to $54 million, 3-year deal that makes Kyle Pitts Sr. 1 of NFL's top paid tight ends By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer The Associated Press ATLANTA
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., securing another foundation player on the team's offense through the 2028 season.
The deal was announced on Tuesday by Pitts' agency, Athletes First , in a social media post. The agency said it is the largest three-year deal for a tight end in NFL history.
The agreement with Pitts comes three weeks after the team signed wide receiver Drake London to a four-year, $141 million deal.
Pitts, 25, was the No. 8 overall pick by the Falcons in the 2021 NFL draft. He set a career high with 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season. He ranked second among tight ends in receptions and receiving yards.
Pitts’ contract, which includes $36 million in guaranteed salary, was first reported by ESPN. The Falcons have not announced the deal, but still celebrated by posting a video of Pitts on social media.
Pitts' big season included a three-touchdown game in Atlanta's 29-28 win at Tampa Bay on Dec. 11. That win came with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. The Falcons will enter training camp with Tua Tagovailoa expected to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job at quarterback.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski says Penix, recovering from knee surgery, is on schedule in his recovery . Penix had not been cleared for team drills in the recent minicamp but was impressive in seven-on-seven drills.
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa, the former Miami Dolphins starter, to a one-year deal in March after releasing Cousins with a post-June 1 designation.
The Falcons used a franchise tag of $15.045 million on Pitts, but now the tight end will play under the new deal in the 2026 season. The $18 million average of Pitts' contract places him third on the list of the NFL's highest paid tight ends, behind San Francisco's George Kittle ($19.1 million) and Arizona's Trey McBride ($19 million).
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