The Miami Dolphins have agreed to a one-year contract with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, likely adding an experienced backup behind 2020 fifth overall draft pick Tua Tagovailoa.
The sides can finalise the deal on Wednesday when the NFL's free agency period begins. Monday marked the beginning of the league's legal negotiating period.
Bridgewater, 29, is a South Florida native who had a decorated career at Miami Northwestern Senior High School and has returned to his alma mater frequently to watch Friday night games.
While Tagovailoa is expected to remain the Dolphins' starter, he has dealt with several injuries in his first two pro seasons, making the acquisition of a reliable quarterback a priority for Miami.
The 32nd overall pick in 2014 out of Louisville, Bridgewater will once again be relegated to a backup role after starting 29 games over the last two seasons for the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
In 14 games last season, he threw for a career-high 18 touchdown passes for the 7-10 Broncos, who revamped the position last week by agreeing to a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson.
With Bridgewater set to be signed and Mitchell Trubisky agreeing to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offseason quarterback carousel is beginning to settle, with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota remaining the top two available free agents.
The elephant in the room for teams acquiring quarterbacks remains the status of Deshaun Watson, who has requested a trade from the Houston Texans despite having 22 civil lawsuits against him for allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, which he denies. A grand jury deemed there insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings last week.
The Dolphins and Texans were deep into conversations about sending Watson to Miami before last year's trade deadline, but no deal was made.
A four-year deal for Christian Kirk reported to be worth up to $84million is to be among a significant outlay by the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
Within hours of the start of the legal tampering period on Monday, the Jaguars secured five deals, according to widespread reports.
The Jaguars had $39.3million in cap space to work with – the fifth-most in the NFL – and made the most of it in addressing key needs at receiver and on the offensive line.
Kirk was the player they identified as a target for second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, albeit at a significant cost.
The former Arizona Cardinal, who fell 18 yards shy of 1,000 receiving last season and has 11 touchdowns over the past two campaigns, is said to be due a $20m signing bonus, $37m fully guaranteed and $39m over the first two years, with $12m available in incentives.
Lawrence will also be able to look to tight end Evan Engram and will do so under the protection of five-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff, having been sacked 32 times in 2021.
Linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi are also heading to Jacksonville after a busy day for the Jaguars.
Kensington Oval is expected to be a hive of activity for the second Apex Test match, as the historic venue will now be able to operate at full capacity when West Indies host England from March 16-20.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced that the venue will be allowed to return to 100 per cent capacity for fully vaccinated fans, following a decision taken on Monday by the Barbados Government.
Additionally, it was also announced that fans in the ‘Banks Party Stand’, presented by ‘Power By Four’, will no longer be required to take rapid antigen tests to enter, with all fans now just needing to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and be able to present their vaccination documentation.
“We are very happy that there is the potential for more West Indies and travelling England fans to attend the 2nd Apex Test match at Kensington Oval. We were almost sold out for the first two days before the decision by the Government of Barbados, which everyone welcomes," said Dominic Warne, WI’s Commercial and Marketing Director.
"Additionally, this will make it a much smoother experience for Banks Party Stand ticket holders, of which there will be more than 1000 per day, following the removal of rapid antigen testing requirements. We’re expecting another dramatic Test match against England and we want as many West Indies fans as possible rallying behind the #MeninMaroon.”
The three-match Apex Test Series is still level following the draw in the first Apex Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
Former New England Patriots star cornerback J.C. Jackson will suit up for the Los Angeles Chargers going forward after signing a reported five-year deal worth up to $82.5million, with $40m guaranteed.
The Patriots allowed Jackson to walk when they opted to not use the franchise tag to lock him up for one more year.
Over the past three seasons, no player in the NFL has record more interceptions than Jackson's 22. His closest challenger is Xavien Howard (16).
Jackson finished 2021 having allowed a big play on 18.9 per cent of his targets, the eighth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.
At 26 years old, Jackson is an elite player at one of the sport's premier positions with seemingly plenty of gas left in the tank, and if the $82.5m figure is accurate, it would place Jackson as one of the six highest-paid cornerbacks in the league based on average annual salary.
The Chargers are in their prime spending window while exciting quarterback Justin Herbert remains on his rookie contract for the next two seasons.
Herbert is currently making less than $9m per season and is expected to fetch an average annual salary north of $40m when the time comes for his extension, giving the Chargers a two-year window to go all-in surrounding their QB with a championship-level team.
Ralf Rangnick's tenure as Manchester United interim manager has not been a resounding success.
While United have climbed from seventh in the Premier League when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked to fifth, closing the gap to the top four from six points to one, fourth-placed Arsenal have three games in hand and should expect to qualify for the Champions League.
United's hopes of returning to Europe's elite club competition next year – by which time Rangnick will likely have moved upstairs – might instead rest on success in this year's tournament.
Atletico Madrid visit Old Trafford on Wednesday with their last-16 tie level at 1-1, apparently finely balanced – although the first leg was anything but. United were hugely fortunate to escape with a draw after lacking any real fluency in Spain.
Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo will still no doubt be eagerly anticipating this match following his Tottenham hat-trick, but repeating those heroics represents a tall order. He will need help – and the manager's job is to provide that.
Although Rangnick has so far failed to deliver a coherent side able to produce consistent performances, that is not to say there have not been success stories of his reign.
And perhaps Jadon Sancho, who is definitely one of those, can be the man to lift United and their talisman this week.
Sancho is now finding form after a tough start to life at Old Trafford that was somewhat overshadowed by the various other issues United have faced this season, both before and since Solskjaer's sacking.
At another club, Sancho's struggles would have been front and centre, as he remarkably failed to contribute either a goal or an assist in 14 appearances for Solskjaer in all competitions.
That was certainly not what United envisaged when they paid £73million for an England winger whose 107 goal involvements (50 goals, 57 assists) for Borussia Dortmund arrived every 93 minutes on average.
There would have been relief then when Sancho was the star of Michael Carrick's short stint as caretaker, following his first United goal at Villarreal with a second at Chelsea.
Yet more than two months passed before Sancho scored again, kickstarting a vastly improved spell under Rangnick – a coach belatedly having the transformative effect on the 21-year-old many had forecast.
Rangnick's preference for a pressing game was expected to suit Sancho, whose Dortmund in the Bundesliga last season allowed the fifth-fewest opposition passes per defensive action (PPDA – 11.0) and won the fourth-most high turnovers (329).
Under Solskjaer, United ranked a passive 14th in PPDA (14.4), yet that statistic has not altered as drastically as one might have imagined; since Rangnick's appointment, United are 12th (13.3).
Others who have flourished under Rangnick have still done so by leading the press – Fred (51.8) and Anthony Elanga (51.2) rank first and second for Premier League pressures per 90 by United players since the interim boss came in – whereas the speed of United's attacking once they win possession has suited Sancho.
Opta defines a direct attack as "an open play sequence that starts just inside the team's own half and has at least 50 per cent of movement towards the opposition's goal, and ends in a shot or a touch in the opposition box".
Since the start of February, United have scored four league goals from such attacks – twice as many as any other side. Sancho has been involved in all four, striking on the break against both Southampton and Manchester City while laying on assists for Bruno Fernandes and Fred at Leeds United.
The goal at City may have counted for little on a dark day for United, but Sancho has been flying since scoring on his return to the team against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on February 4, having been granted a period of leave following a death in his family.
"Jadon Sancho is now getting closer to the Jadon Sancho I've known from Germany," Rangnick said at the weekend. "In the end it's all about confidence. Game time, confidence. Confidence, game time. He was performing at a very high level."
He added: "This is what he should be. The club paid quite a few pounds for him in order to lure him away from Borussia Dortmund, and if you pay that amount of money in a transfer fee for a player, he should perform on this kind of level."
Rangnick was speaking after the win against Tottenham, where there was finally a goal courtesy of his combination play with Ronaldo.
It was suggested earlier in the season the pair could not work together – and the woes of both Sancho and United might agree with that argument – but the rapid run in behind and pinpoint square pass for the second of Ronaldo's three goals were evidence of how this attack can succeed.
Ronaldo can continue to thrive with that sort of service, while Sancho only looks better for having a focal point to play off in the mould of former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland.
Now, with 13 goals in his past 15 home games against Atletico, including two hat-tricks in the last four, do not bet against Ronaldo proving the difference again on Tuesday. Also, do not bet against Sancho being the man to supply him.
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema were the difference once again as Real Madrid beat Real Mallorca 3-0 on Monday to take full advantage of Sevilla's latest slip-up and go 10 points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Carlo Ancelotti's men were aiming for a fourth league win in a row and, although they rode their luck at times, Los Blancos got the job done to see their points cushion at the summit reach double figures.
Mallorca arguably created the better chances in the first half, though Vinicius was more ruthless soon after the restart, even if there was a hint of controversy around it.
It set Madrid on their way and Benzema put the game beyond Mallorca from the spot before nodding in his second of the day late on, though Ancelotti will be worried that he failed to complete the game.
Amid a busy start, Madrid were fortunate to not fall behind in the 11th minute, as Vedat Muriqi steered a close-range volley off target from Brian Olivan's excellent cross.
They got even luckier just past the half-hour mark when Pablo Maffeo scuffed wide from 10 yards with only Thibaut Courtois to beat.
Predictably, Mallorca were made to pay.
Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez refused to penalise Federico Valverde for tripping Iddrisu Baba just outside the hosts' box, and Benzema fed Vinicius into the area for a straightforward finish.
Mallorca's response was lacking and Madrid finished them off 13 minutes from time, Benzema slotting home a penalty after Vinicius was nudged over while trying to reach a pass from his partner.
Benzema added another with a well-placed header from a Marcelo cross, but he was then withdrawn with an apparent calf strain in what could be a major blow ahead of the Clasico.
Manchester City failed to restore their six-point lead at the Premier League summit as they were held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Palace had been looking to complete a first league double over City since 1987-88 but settled simply for frustrating Pep Guardiola's side, who went the closest to opening the scoring in the first half when Joao Cancelo rattled the woodwork.
Kevin De Bruyne was also denied by the frame of the goal after the interval, with no late winner forthcoming at Selhurst Park.
The stalemate meant City moved just four points clear of second-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand and are yet to play the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
Michael Olise poked narrowly wide in the opening stages, while Bernardo Silva spurned a glorious chance after Vicente Guaita had spilled a De Bruyne strike at the other end.
De Bruyne then tested Guaita's reactions with an audacious volley, before Cancelo cannoned against the left post with a thunderous long-range effort, with Aymeric Laporte squandering the inviting rebound inside the area.
Riyad Mahrez almost found the top-left corner with a left-footed curler, then De Bruyne struck the right post after the break with his low drive. Guaita tipped over from Mahrez on the follow-up, but a belated offside flag meant a breakthrough goal would not have stood.
Silva wasted another gilt-edged chance to nudge City ahead when he touched wide from Jack Grealish's cross, while Laporte failed to make clean contact with a close-range header late on.
Conor Gallagher could even have stolen victory as his shot from a tight angle rose over Ederson's goal in stoppage time.
The Green Bay Packers have re-signed linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.
The deal will not be official until the start of the league-year on Wednesday, with Campbell's five-year contract reportedly worth up to $50million if he plays out the entire deal.
A fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, 28-year-old Campbell spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta, before a one-year stint in Arizona where he caught the eye of the Packers.
Playing on a one-year 'prove it' deal, Campbell established himself as a first-team All Pro inside linebacker by managing 102 solo tackles and adding six quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
The move represents a big investment by the franchise, eating into salary cap space that may be required to bring back superstar offensive duo Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.
Both Rodgers and Adams are expecting contracts that would reset the market in their respective positions.
England cannot settle for "small incremental changes to make the difference" to their men's cricket setup if they want to compete, according to interim manager director Andrew Strauss.
Strauss left his role at the top of English cricket in 2018 but returned in a temporary role following the 4-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.
The first of former England captain Strauss' changes saw head coach Chris Silverwood dismissed, with Paul Collingwood stepping up in the interim for the tour of the West Indies.
Joe Root's much-changed tourists, without star bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, shared the spoils in an uneventful first Test with Kraigg Brathwaite's West Indies side in Antigua, but Strauss is aware that success will not arrive "overnight" for a struggling England side.
"The results do not lie," former opener Strauss, whose managing director role started to be advertised for a long-term successor on Monday, told the BBC.
"We have been number one in the world in Test cricket for 12 months in the last 42 years. Small incremental change isn't going to make the difference we need.
"We need to be bold and ambitious."
Strauss headed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) committee that called for a full independent review into English cricket's domestic setup, and he appreciates that "time is ticking" to find a solution in appointing a managing director, who will find the next head coach of the men's team.
"There is a slight ticking clock in terms of the start of the international summer at the beginning of June and we want to get that person in position," he continued.
"It will be their decision around the coach and/or coaches as well, which hopefully will also be in position by the start of the summer, but there is a bit of time pressure for us to make that happen.
"It's going to be his [the new managing director's] team and so he has to look at how he wants to structure the England high-performance department.
"Whether he goes down the single coach or two coach model, he has to have the people that he feels can work with him and has a similar philosophy."
South African Gary Kirsten has been floated as Silverwood's red-ball successor, but Strauss believes whoever the next managing director and head coach are, England have to compete in all formats.
Questioned on who the new managing director may be, and whether they would have to be English, Strauss responded: "I've always been uneasy in saying overseas candidates cannot do the role.
"But what a time to get involved. It is very rare you get the opportunity to start with a blank piece of paper and this person is going to have that.
"Despite the doom and gloom around English cricket, there are a lot of good players out there. We are not going to become brilliant overnight but I think we have a lot of the raw ingredients in place.
"While a lot of the focus post-Ashes has been on red-ball cricket and the domestic structure, our project is broader than that.
"Our ambition has to be for us to be the best team in all formats. We have the ability to do that, and in order for that to happen, we have to look at the whole system.
"We have to accept we have never had a system that has produced that.
"Whatever your focus on red-ball cricket, it's like a Rubik's Cube and it affects white-ball cricket. You cannot look at them in isolation, you have to look at them together.
"The game around us has been moving very quickly. Not just our international players, but our domestic players are playing a lot of cricket abroad in the winter and it's time to ask what our role is in all of this.
"How do we protect our own system but also enhance that system?"
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone hopes to cause Manchester United "vertigo" when his team travel to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
The first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano three weeks ago ended 1-1 after a late equaliser from substitute Anthony Elanga cancelled out Joao Felix's first-half header.
Atletico have lost their last two away trips to face English sides in the Champions League, losing at Chelsea in 2020-21 and Liverpool this season without scoring a goal in either.
They have also not kept a clean sheet in any of their eight away games against English teams in the competition, conceding 14 goals overall, but Simeone believes United could struggle as the home team.
"We will press high," he told reporters at Monday's pre-match news conference. “It will be the classic type of match you expect in a game like this – the vertigo you sometimes suffer when you play at home.
"I think we have the opportunity to hit on the counter to capitalise on any errors they make. We are really up for the game and will do the best we can."
Atletico eliminated Liverpool in the 2019-20 Champions League at the round of 16 stage, winning the second leg 3-2 at Anfield after extra-time, but Simeone insists the game at Old Trafford is separate and the previous success England will have no bearing on the outcome.
"They are different games, we know the importance of the rival we are going to face tomorrow and the danger they have, but we are confident," he added.
Marcos Llorente, who scored twice in the win at Liverpool in 2019, said he and his team-mates are confident ahead of the game, but stressed they must be careful with Cristiano Ronaldo around.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in United's 3-2 win against Tottenham on Saturday, and has netted 13 goals in his last 15 home games against Atletico across all competitions, including two hat-tricks in his most recent four (for Real Madrid in May 2017 and Juventus in March 2019, both in the Champions League).
"When you have players like that, you always need to be on your guard," Llorente said. "They have some other great players that play at a really high level and have to be aware of all of them."
Tottenham striker Harry Kane insists he is just focusing on the remainder of the season rather than thinking about his future.
Kane came close to leaving his boyhood club last year and was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, but the Premier League champions were unable to agree a fee with Spurs.
The England captain appeared to have been affected by the saga after scoring just once in his first 15 games in the league this season, but he has rediscovered his form after plundering 10 in 13 top-flight appearances since, including two against City in the recent 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Kane appears to be happier with life at Spurs since Antonio Conte arrived as head coach in November, but questions around his future will likely resurface should the club fail to qualify for the Champions League again.
Tottenham lost 3-2 at top-four rivals Manchester United on Saturday thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, and they sit in eighth place in the Premier League, six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played a game more.
Despite a slow start to the campaign, Kane now sits joint-third in the Premier League top-scorer table, level with Ivan Toney and team-mate Son Heung-min on 11 goals, one behind Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota (12) and nine off current top scorer Mohamed Salah (20).
Kane has an expected goals figure of 12.5 in the league this season, but his shot conversion rate of 12.94 per cent still remains some way behind most others near the top of the scoring charts, including Toney (19.64 per cent) and Son (19.30 per cent).
Ahead of the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, Kane spoke to Sky Sports and discussed his own form and thoughts on his future.
"I'm the first to look at my own standards," the 28-year-old said. "In the Premier League, towards the first few months or so, I wasn't at the standard that I was always reaching.
"It was no time to panic or sulk, it was a time to work hard and since Antonio's come in, we've had a good understanding with each other. As a player, if you're improving under a coach, that's the most important thing.
"It's when you're there and not sure where you're going and where the club's going and that's the hardest part as a player. I definitely feel like I'm improving, and the team is with Antonio. That motivates you to be even better. Hopefully, we can end the season and give the top four a real go.
"Obviously, it's always an aim to get in the Champions League, for the club. Personally, you want to be in the best competitions in the world. My focus is on this year; getting top four is the most important goal for us now.
"There are 11 games left and if we can get on a run, this is more than possible. That's all I can control and that's all the manager can control as well. Let's see where we end up."
The reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves appear to be moving on from free agent and fan favourite Freddie Freeman at first base, having acquired Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics on Monday.
The Braves are sending four prospects – outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and right-handed pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes – to Oakland in return for the left-handed slugger.
The 27-year-old Olson, who was raised in the Atlanta suburbs, enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 and was named to his first All-Star Game, leading the A's in homers (39), doubles (35), RBIs (111) and OPS (.911).
Since his first full season in the majors in 2017, his 142 home runs are tied with Mike Trout for 10th in MLB.
The addition of Olson signals that the Braves will be moving on from Freeman, who has spent his entire 12-year career in Atlanta, culminating with a World Series championship last November.
A five-time All-Star and the 2020 National League MVP, the 32-year-old Freeman is a career .295-hitter and ranks sixth on the Braves all-time home run list with 271 and third in doubles with 367.
Harry Kane is adamant the Tottenham squad is fully on board with Antonio Conte, of whom they cannot "speak highly enough".
Conte arrived in November following the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo, who himself only lasted a few months in the job.
It has not been entirely plain sailing for Spurs since Conte joined, however, with the Italian's famed fiery personality attracting plenty of attention.
That reached its zenith last month when Conte went from hailing his squad as "one of the best groups" he has ever worked with to suggesting he might not be the right man for the job in just three days.
The outburst that brought his future into question came after a shock defeat to Burnley, which was their fourth loss in five league games, leaving Conte frustrated by what he deemed to be more like relegation form than evidence of them being capable of a top-four finish.
He soon apologised and Spurs won their next two league games before slipping to a 3-2 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday, but Kane is convinced the team is fully behind Conte even after a rocky period.
"Obviously I still feel like we're in a process," Kane told Sky Sports. "We went two or three years challenging for trophies then we dropped off over the last couple of years.
"With Antonio, he's building a culture that he wants to be and wants to put us back in that place.
"The Premier League, it's such fine lines between challenging or being top four or being sixth, seventh or eighth. Every team is getting better and there are no easy games.
"Of course, the manager is working as hard as he can, and the players are working.
"It's not a quick fix that happens overnight, it takes time and understanding. He needs to talk to the club and chairman and to see what direction we need to go as a club. We can't speak highly enough of him."
Spurs are back in league action again on Wednesday when they go to Brighton and Hove Albion.
A win will leave them level with sixth-placed West Ham on 48 points, though Spurs will have another game in hand on the Hammers and Man United, two points higher in fifth.
The Philadelphia Eagles have boosted their pass rush by agreeing a three-year deal with Haason Reddick.
According to a report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Reddick will sign a contract worth $45million with $30m guaranteed.
It comes following back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for Reddick with two different teams.
A first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, Reddick registered 12.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 15 tackles for loss for Arizona in 2020.
He then signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, for whom he racked up 11 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss.
Now Reddick gets the chance to head home, having been born just five miles outside of Philadelphia in Camden, New Jersey and played his college football for the Temple Owls, who play their home games at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field.
Reddick could form an exciting duo with the Eagles' Josh Sweat, the 2018 fourth-round pick who last season recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks.
In 2021, the Eagles finished eighth in Stats Perform's pass rush win rate and will hope Reddick's arrival can help them maintain that top-10 status.
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