Two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons agreed on an $8 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday. Simmons is the second major addition the Falcons have made to bolster their defense in two days. The team acquired four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon from New England for a third-round pick. The 30-year-old Simmons spent his first eight …

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was held out practice because of a tight hamstring. (Ryan Sun / Associated Press) It’s only hamstring tightness. Nothing that will keep Matthew Stafford from practicing next week, coach Sean McVay said. But should the Rams and their fans be worried about their 36-year-old quarterback? On Thursday, for the second day in a row, Stafford was …

Sam Burns is one confident LSU alum. The 28-year-old Shreveport, Louisiana, native − fresh off firing a 3-under-par 67 in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship Thursday at TPC Southwind − was asked afterward how he’s feeling about LSU football’s outlook in 2024. Burns was not bashful. “Yeah, I think we’re going to win them all,” he …

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said Thursday he remains hopeful he will be able to work out a contract extension. “Good conversations are going on, I will say that,” said Prescott, who’s entering the final season of a $160 million, four-year contract. “Call it negotiations, whatever, conversations,” he added. “A lot of good things are going on there, so a …

Ex-NFL exec shares his experience in the Bears’ building during Matthew Judon negotiations originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears front office tried to bring Matthew Judon from the Patriots to Chicago in trade discussions on Wednesday evening. In the end, they fell short, as the Falcons successfully traded a 2025 third-round pick to …

Michigan linebackers coach George Helow high-fives players after a play against Nebraska during the first half of U-M’s 34-3 win over Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in Ann Arbor. As Bruce Feldman of The Athletic first reported, Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders is hiring former Michigan Wolverines linebackers coach George Helow to his staff under the title of …

Chase Claypool is free to find a new team. Per the NFL’s Thursday transaction wire, the Bills released Claypool from injured reserve with an injury settlement. Buffalo had placed Claypool on the list earlier this week. He had been sidelined by a toe injury that was initially classified as day-to-day. Now whenever Claypool is healthy, he can join a new …

We are just over two weeks away from Penn State’s 2024 season opener against West Virginia in Morgantown. The matchup is one of the more challenging non-conference games Penn State has had in recent memory. The Mountaineers are coming off a 9-4 season and are an ascending team hoping to reach the Big 12 title game in December. On the …

Ex-Bears’ Chase Claypool, Bills reach injury settlement, granting him free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago Former Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool and the Bills reached an injury settlement, removing him from the team’s injured reserve list and granting him free agency, according to the league’s transaction wire. The team placed the pass catcher on injured reserve with a …

With the college football season less than two weeks away from starting, the dates for the highly anticipated College Football Playoff rankings releases are now known. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee announced on Thursday the dates its rankings will be released this season as selection committee members met in Southern California this week. The rankings will first be unveiled …

Juice believes CMC will return in ‘no time’ from calf injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA — It was a welcome sight for the 49ers Faithful and fantasy football fans around the world seeing Christian McCaffrey working out on the side field during San Francisco’s training-camp practice on Thursday. Since suffering what was deemed a minor …

Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) intercepts a late second quarter pass intended for South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver O’Mega Blake (89). The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish took on the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl game in Jacksonville, Florida’s TIAA Bank Field Friday, December 30, 2022. The first half ended with …

Titans’ Adams issues astute 49ers warning to Seahawks’ Witherspoon originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Programming Note: Watch “49ers Training Camp Live” with Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan at 3 p.m. PT today from Santa Clara, streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Watch the show later on YouTube and Facebook. The secret’s out: the 49ers’ offense is good. Perhaps nobody knows …

With the college football season just nine days away from commencing with Week 0, the anticipation surrounding the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff model continues to gear up. On Thursday, the College Football Playoff announced the six dates it will release its rankings during the upcoming college football season. The first one is set for Election Day on Tuesday, …

Safety Justin Simmons is reportedly joining the Falcons after spending his first eight NFL seasons with the Broncos. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) The Atlanta Falcons added to their defense on Thursday after signing safety Justin Simmons to a reported one-year, $8 million deal, according to NFL Network. Simmons, 30, is guaranteed $7.5 million on his new contract. Adding the …