The Green Bay Packers have moved to ensure they enter 2022 with the same edge-rushing duo who starred last season, re-signing Preston Smith but releasing Za'Darius Smith.

The pair had played together for two years following their 2019 arrivals, before Za'Darius Smith's back injury saw him spend the majority of 2021 on injured reserve.

He played briefly in the Packers' Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints and only returned following back surgery in the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, in which he recorded his only sack of the year.

In Za'Darius Smith's absence, Rashan Gary stepped up to establish himself alongside Preston Smith.

Gary, who had only four career starts prior to 2021, led the Packers with 9.5 sacks, just ahead of Preston Smith (9.0), who matched his team-mate's two fumbles forced.

That breakout performance from Gary meant there were contrasting fortunes for Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith three years to the day since they both signed with the team.

Za'Darius Smith, whose 26 sacks across 2019 and 2020 – in which he started 32 games – tied third in the NFL alongside Aaron Donald, had the option to stay with the Packers at this year's owed cash amount, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, but instead agreed with the team's decision to move on.

Meanwhile, Preston Smith was granted a contract extension, with general manager Brian Gutekunst saying: "We are excited to have Preston continue his career with the Packers.

"Since coming to Green Bay, he has not only contributed with production on the field but has been a great presence in the locker room and a leader for this team."

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have settled on Mitchell Trubisky as the successor to Ben Roethlisberger.

According to multiple reports, the second overall pick in the 2017 draft has agreed a two-year contract with the Steelers.

The former Chicago Bears quarterback spent last season as Josh Allen's backup with the Buffalo Bills having failed to live up to his draft status.

Trubisky will now get the chance to reinvigorate his career in Pittsburgh and has significant shoes to fill after future Hall of Famer Roethlisberger retired following his 18th season in the NFL.

The Steelers had been said to be in the mix for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is available for trade as the Niners get set to start Trey Lance in 2022.

But they have instead avoided sending draft capital to another team and elected to bet on their ability to harness Trubisky's physical tools, something which the Bears largely failed to do.

The Bears traded up from the third pick to the second in 2017 to land Trubisky but, save for a 2018 season in which he was part of a team that won the NFC North only to lose in the Wild Card round to the Philadelphia Eagles, his time with the team was unsuccessful.

Chicago did get back to the playoffs in 2020, a season in which Trubisky and Nick Foles alternated at quarterback, but they suffered a meek Wild Card exit at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

In his time with the Bears, Trubisky threw for 10,609 yards, 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also ran for eight touchdowns.

His final season with Chicago saw him record a pickable pass rate of 5.48 per cent, the fifth-worst among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts.

Free agency was supposed to be the headline act of March in the NFL calendar.

But then a blockbuster Russell Wilson trade, the end (for now) of the Aaron Rodgers saga and the small matter of the unretirement of Tom Brady happened in a whirlwind week for the league.

As such, many of the moves that are reported when the NFL's negotiating window opens may seem insignificant compared to the events of the last seven days.

However, the right acquisition on the open market can have a substantial impact for teams looking to contend for the Lombardi Trophy.

Just look at the Cincinnati Bengals, who were in touching distance of winning the title for the first time thanks in part to the defensive efforts of two free agent signings in edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

With the salary cap increasing to $208.2million, the first time in league history it has been over $200m, plenty of teams will be ready to loosen the purse strings.

Yet free agency is often not about making the big splash move, it is more a matter of finding the right fit between player and team.

Using advanced metrics, Stats Perform looks at six of the best potential fits for this year's free agency cycle.

J.C. Jackson to New York Jets

Jackson is in for a monster payday after the New England Patriots elected not to place the franchise tag on a cornerback coming off a second-team All-Pro season.

Though they are clearly not ready to contend in 2022, the Jets present the perfect marriage of positional need and cap space, of which they have the second-most in the NFL.

Only four teams allowed more yards per pass play than the Jets (7.11) last season, with the secondary a long-standing problem for New York.

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.

Pairing him with a corner in Bryce Hall who had the best combined open percentage (14.61) across man and zone coverage of any player at his position in the NFL last season (min. 100 coverage matchups) would go a long way to shoring up the Jets' defensive backfield.

Terron Armstead to Cincinnati Bengals

It almost makes too much sense. The Bengals are in obvious need of help on the offensive line and will have the seventh-most cap space of any team in the NFL with which to acquire it, making Armstead an obvious fit.

Though injuries limited him to eight games for the Saints last season, Armstead remains one of the premier left tackles in the NFL.

Armstead's stunt-adjusted pass block win rate of 91.93 per cent was third among tackles with at least 100 pass protection one-on-ones in 2021.

That is exactly the kind of excellence in protection the Bengals need to ensure Joe Burrow can keep them in contention for Super Bowl titles in the coming years.

Tyrann Mathieu to Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have been mentioned as a potential destination for several free agents, which is unsurprising given they are in the top half of the league in terms of cap space and have a premier quarterback on a rookie deal in Justin Herbert.

They have already shown a desire to be aggressive in striking a trade to pair edge rusher Khalil Mack with Joey Bosa on the defensive line, yet there is no doubt the secondary would also benefit from an infusion of experience and added quality.

Mathieu would bring just that if the Chargers were able to lure him from the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. With free safety Nasir Adderley having so far struggled to live up to his status as a second-round pick, Mathieu's arrival would allow the Chargers to rotate him and former first-round pick Derwin James, who each possess the versatility to play free and strong safety and one on one with wide receivers and tight ends in man coverage.

Last year, Mathieu finished ninth among defensive backs with at least 100 coverage matchups across man and zone with a combined open percentage allowed of 20.3.

With another three interceptions added to a career tally that now stands at 26, there is no doubt Mathieu still has the playmaking ability and coverage skills to be an asset to any defense.

Von Miller to Denver Broncos

Everybody loves a reunion, and this would be a quick one after the Broncos dealt Miller to the Los Angeles Rams last season, with the veteran edge rusher going on to win his second Super Bowl title.

And after the Broncos struck a stunning trade to acquire Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, bringing back Miller to boost a defense that will be run by former Rams secondary coach Ejiro Evero would be an ideal next move to make for a team clearly eyeing an immediate run at a Lombardi.

Miller ranked fifth among edge rushers with a stunt-adjusted pass rush win rate of 43.4 per cent in 2021, with that ability to generate pressure highly valuable to a defense that was a disappointing 30th in win percentage last year.

The Broncos are set up to contend, and a return to Denver would potentially give Miller the chance to compete for further titles while ending his career where it started.

Cordarrelle Patterson to San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have a host of more important needs than a wide receiver-turned-running back, and given San Francisco possesses the gold standard in that regard in 'wide back' Deebo Samuel, signing Patterson would be a luxury move rather than a necessity.

Yet the thought of head coach Kyle Shanahan having both Samuel and Patterson to work with is an extremely enticing one.

Among running backs with at least 150 carries in the regular season, only James Conner (22.7) produced a higher percentage of big plays on targets in the passing game than Patterson (22.6).

Putting him with the play-caller who arguably does the best job of getting offensive players in space would be a match made in heaven.

Christian Kirk to Indianapolis Colts

It's not clear who will be playing quarterback for the Colts in 2022 following the Carson Wentz trade to the Washington Commanders, but that signal-caller will need receiving help beyond 2020 second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr.

With T.Y. Hilton on the downswing of his career and injuries preventing Parris Campbell from making any sort of discernible impact, the Colts are light on legitimate pass-catching weapons.

Kirk could stock the cupboard in that regard, giving Indianapolis a legitimate deep threat who fell 18 yards shy of 1,000 receiving last season and has 11 touchdowns over the past two campaigns.

He registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 66.4 per cent of targets (the average for receivers with at least 100 targets was 62).

Among receivers to meet that target threshold, Kirk was fourth in the NFL in 2021 with a burn yards per target average of 13.2, with his ability to separate much needed by an offense that heads into the offseason in questionable shape.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht says they will "reload" their roster for another championship run following Tom Brady's decision to return from retirement.

The 44-year-old quarterback announced on Sunday that he had made a remarkable U-turn and will play on with the Bucs only 41 days after declaring his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons.

The Bucs, who won Super Bowl LV, bowed out in the 2021-22 divisional playoffs to eventual champions the Los Angeles Rams.

Licht said he and head coach Bruce Arians had spoken with Brady and felt a return was a "realistic chance" with the Bucs, who used their franchise tag on Chris Godwin last week, ready to chase another Super Bowl title.

"We are thrilled that Tom has decided to come back this season," Licht said. "We said we would leave all options open for him should he reconsider his retirement and today's announcement is something we have been preparing for in recent days.

"Bruce and I have had plenty of conversations with Tom recently that led us to believe there was a realistic chance he would want to come back.

"Tom is the greatest quarterback of all time who is still playing at an elite level. With this decision now made, we will continue to move forward with our offseason plans to reload this roster for another championship run."

Arians reaffirmed Licht's comments around the Bucs being in championship contention and welcomed Brady's decision.

"Tom Brady loves to play football as much as anyone I have ever been around," Arians said. "As Tom said, his place right now is on the football field.

"He is still playing at a championship level and was as productive as anyone in the league last season. We are ecstatic that he decided to continue playing and working toward winning another championship."

Across his career, Brady holds the NFL record for most career quarterback wins (243), passing touchdowns (624) and passing yards (84,520).

Brady is the only player to have won seven Super Bowl titles and will go for an eighth with the Bucs next season.

Several of Brady's Bucs teammates took to social media to celebrate the QB's return, including Nick Leverett, Tristan Werfs and Mike Evans.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has sensationally reversed his decision to retire and will play on for a 23rd season in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The legendary quarterback, who will turn 45 in August, had announced his retirement in early February after a decorated career that included five Super Bowl MVP awards.

But Brady announced the shock decision to change his mind on Twitter on Sunday, stating: "These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it's not now.

"I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG."

When Brady announced he was quitting on February 1, it seemed final.

He declared that day, in a long and emotional statement, that he was not prepared to "make that competitive commitment anymore", pointing to the daily "physical, mental, and emotional challenge" of his sporting life.

He wrote then: "I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."

There had been reports by that point that Brady was toying with the idea of retirement, albeit having previously expressed a desire to play to the age of 45, and being open to the idea of going on until 50.

Brady was present at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium on Saturday to see Cristiano Ronaldo score a Premier League hat-trick against Tottenham at the age of 37, and doubtless he would have admired the Portuguese striker's longevity.

It reflects his own sustained success in American football, with both men having been figures at the highest level since the early part of the century.

Unquestionably the greatest quarterback of all time, Brady ended his career in Tampa Bay but is most closely tied to the New England Patriots, with whom he won his first six Super Bowls.

He was with the Patriots from 2000 until the 2019 season, before switching allegiance.

Across his career, Brady has led the NFL in passing touchdowns five times and in passing yards on four occasions.

He holds the NFL record for most career quarterback wins (243), passing touchdowns (624) and passing yards (84,520).

He is the only player to have won seven Super Bowl titles and his 35 playoff wins are 19 more than his nearest challenger among quarterbacks, Brady's boyhood idol Joe Montana.

Now, after a jaw-dropping change of heart, Brady will go for an eighth Super Bowl.

Tom Brady had seemingly played his last Super Bowl.

The quarterback extraordinaire confirmed on February 1 that he had decided to retire after completing a second year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But less than six weeks later he has made a stunning U-turn, announcing in a tweet that the 44-year-old is coming back for a 23rd season in the NFL.

It means he could yet go on to extend his record for the most Super Bowls to eight, with the NFL great apparently unwilling to declare on seven.

Brady could have walked away after capturing a sixth Lombardi Trophy with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII three years ago with his legacy as the greatest of all time secured.

But whether it was down to a desire to outstrip Michael Jordan's six NBA titles, win a Super Bowl without Bill Belichick or simply because of his love of competing and winning, Brady felt the need to keep going further into his 40s in search of a seventh.

That came in emphatic fashion in his first season since leaving Belichick and the Patriots, as the Buccaneers routed the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 at Raymond James Stadium 12 months ago.

The man who entered the NFL as a skinny sixth-round pick in 2000 proved yet again that it is foolish to doubt him, and now he has gone about surprising everyone yet again by deciding that, actually, his time isn't up.

With Brady back for more, Stats Perform ranks his seven wins on the grandest stage.

7. Super Bowl LIII

Brady's last triumph with the Patriots was probably his least impressive, at least in the vacuum of the game itself.

An uninspiring defensive struggle with the Los Angeles Rams unsurprisingly fell in Belichick's favour as he outcoached Sean McVay in a 13-3 win. Brady did, however, connect with Rob Gronkowski for the telling blow, a 29-yard pass that set up Sony Michel for the game's only touchdown. 

Boosting Brady here is the fact he led the Patriots to victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, but that's not enough to move it off the bottom of the list.

6. Super Bowl XXXIX

The 2021 Super Bowl was the second in which Brady dealt a defeat to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, but the 39th edition of the Greatest Show on Earth was a much tighter affair as Brady guided the Patriots to back-to-back Lombardi trophies.

However, Reid, who in this February 2005 game was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, perhaps bore as much responsibility for the Patriots' victory as Brady. Reid was significantly criticised in the aftermath of the Eagles' 24-21 loss for a lack of time management, their final scoring drive taking up nearly four minutes and making New England's task in closing out the game much easier.

Reid's shortcomings in that regard do not take away from Brady's performance or the achievement in winning successive Super Bowls, one that has not since been repeated. But, in terms of memorable performances, this is not one that ranks highly.

5. Super Bowl XXXVIII

Brady's second Super Bowl win is one that deserves more recognition than it gets as the Patriots held off an underdog Carolina Panthers team that refused to lie down. 

After the Panthers overturned a 21-10 deficit to lead in the fourth quarter, Brady led an 11-play drive to restore the Patriots' advantage and, after Carolina responded in kind, orchestrated a game-winning field goal in the final 58 seconds of regulation to secure a 32-29 triumph.

It was a perfect encapsulation of Brady's ability to deliver when the moment is the biggest, one which he has demonstrated time and again with all the marbles on the line.

4. Super Bowl LV

Brady's first Super Bowl win outside of New England may have been one of the most unexpected, but it doesn't quite crack the top three.

There is so much Brady deserves credit for. From taking the chance to leave his familiar surroundings and successfully adapting to a new offense to the manner in which he dissected the Chiefs defense in the first half.

But the Buccaneers' victory was a team performance built as much on a swarming defense that continually had Mahomes running for his life as it was on Brady's prowess leading the offense.

Brady was a deserved winner of the Super Bowl MVP but, without the Bucs' pass rush, this would have been a very different game, one in which the Chiefs' offense may have been able to change the outcome.

3. Super Bowl XXXVI

Brady was not close to being the quarterback he would become, and that is what makes his first Super Bowl still so incredible.

In his second season in the NFL, Brady came in and successfully filled the void after starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a chest injury in Week 2 of the 2001 season and led them to an 11-5 record, but he was not expected to go blow for blow with the vaunted St. Louis Rams offense.

As it happened, he received significant help from an excellent defensive display by New England, but the defining moment came in the final 90 seconds, with legendary commentator John Madden calling for the Patriots to play for overtime. Belichick had the faith in Brady to go the opposite route.

He promptly delivered a nine-play, 53-yard drive that began the legend, setting up Adam Vinatieri for a 48-yard field goal that clinched a 20-17 win for the Patriots and their first title. For a player of his relative inexperience to deliver in a situation of that magnitude, it remains one of Brady's most remarkable achievements.

2. Super Bowl XLIX

It gets lost with the fact that Brady and the Patriots would have lost this game to the Seattle Seahawks if not for Malcolm Butler's goal-line interception, but his fourth quarter in a 28-24 classic was one of the finest periods produced by any quarterback in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots trailed by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Brady fearlessly and precisely led them on two touchdown drives against one of the best defenses in NFL history to turn the tide in their favour.

Of course, this game will always be remembered for the Seahawks' inexplicable decision to attempt a pass on the one-yard line with victory in their grasp, but the game never gets to that point without what was at the time Brady's greatest comeback effort in the Super Bowl.

1. Super Bowl LI

It was always unlikely Brady would ever top this performance, his Super Bowl piece de resistance.

All seemed lost for Brady when the Patriots trailed 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter, but what followed was an accumulation of all the clutch moments he has produced in his unparalleled career.

The Falcons were reduced to near helpless spectators as Brady masterfully instigated the biggest fightback in Super Bowl history.

When the Patriots won the coin toss to start overtime, their 34-28 triumph was inevitable. Everyone knew what was about to happen, with the Falcons as powerless to stop it as the Chiefs were last year.

It was a revival that added immeasurably to Brady's aura, his desire to collect Super Bowl rings unsurpassed in the sport's history.

Could another be on the way?

Just two months after his announcement that he would retire from the NFL after 22 seasons, Tom Brady has decided to return for next season.

It means Brady's final game in the sport will not be the dramatic Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, in which he had led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a remarkable late comeback.

That display, at the end of a season in which Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43), had elements of everything that made him the greatest of all time.

Brady's decision to return also means there is even less prospect of any other QB coming close in the near future, however, as Stats Perform examines the stunning numbers behind his record-breaking career.

THE BREES BATTLE

Brady's seven Super Bowls counted for more than any other statistic ever could, but there was still intrigue around his battle with Drew Brees for a number of all-time passing marks.

Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers the year after Brady was selected by the New England Patriots, forever pitting the pair against one another.

But the long-time New Orleans Saints QB did not quite have Brady's longevity, retiring a year earlier, and allowed the gap between the two men's achievements to widen in 2021.

Brady leads the NFL with 84,520 passing yards, ahead of the second-placed Brees and his 80,358.

In terms of touchdown passes, it is a similar story. Brady's 624 top the charts, with Brees his nearest challenger on 571.

Brees also ranks second for seasons with 20 touchdown passes (17) and team points per game among quarterbacks with at least 100 starts (27.4). Brady (19 and 28.3) is the main man in both categories.

WINS, WINS, WINS

There is an enduring debate over whether wins are a quarterback statistic, but one would have a hard time arguing otherwise in Brady's case. Even after benefiting from Bill Belichick's coaching for 20 years, the veteran headed to Tampa and won right away.

Brady finished with 243 QB wins, meaning an incredible margin to second-placed pair Peyton Manning and Brett Favre on 186.

In fact, Brady has 69 wins in the month of December alone. In terms of a single month, Favre is next, with 52 wins also in December.

It should come as no surprise then that Brady has the best record among QBs with at least 100 starts, his .769 again comfortably ahead of the next-best performance, Roger Staubach's .746.

Of course, Brady has kept winning as each season has extended into the postseason.

He has 35 playoff wins, too many to compare to one rival QB alone. Among all NFL teams excluding Brady's Pats and Bucs, the Baltimore Ravens have won the most playoff games since 2000. They are on 16.

STILL GOING STRONG

Brady's 2021 performance made his decision to quit something of a shock. Even in his mid-40s, there had been no signs of slowing.

Last season was Brady's 19th different season with 3,000 passing yards – clear of Favre's 18 – and his fifth 4,000-yard season just since he turned 40.

Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Staubach and Steve Young combined for three seasons with 4,000 passing yards for their careers.

Just two months after his announcement that he would retire from the NFL after 22 seasons, Tom Brady has decided to return for next season.

It means Brady's final game in the sport will not be the dramatic Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, in which he had led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a remarkable late comeback.

That display, at the end of a season in which Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43), had elements of everything that made him the greatest of all time.

Brady's decision to return also means there is even less prospect of any other QB coming close in the near future, however, as Stats Perform examines the stunning numbers behind his record-breaking career.

THE BREES BATTLE

Brady's seven Super Bowls counted for more than any other statistic ever could, but there was still intrigue around his battle with Drew Brees for a number of all-time passing marks.

Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers the year after Brady was selected by the New England Patriots, forever pitting the pair against one another.

But the long-time New Orleans Saints QB did not quite have Brady's longevity, retiring a year earlier, and allowed the gap between the two men's achievements to widen in 2021.

Brady leads the NFL with 84,520 passing yards, ahead of the second-placed Brees and his 80,358.

In terms of touchdown passes, it is a similar story. Brady's 624 top the charts, with Brees his nearest challenger on 571.

Brees also ranks second for seasons with 20 touchdown passes (17) and team points per game among quarterbacks with at least 100 starts (27.4). Brady (19 and 28.3) is the main man in both categories.

WINS, WINS, WINS

There is an enduring debate over whether wins are a quarterback statistic, but one would have a hard time arguing otherwise in Brady's case. Even after benefiting from Bill Belichick's coaching for 20 years, the veteran headed to Tampa and won right away.

Brady finished with 243 QB wins, meaning an incredible margin to second-placed pair Peyton Manning and Brett Favre on 186.

In fact, Brady has 69 wins in the month of December alone. In terms of a single month, Favre is next, with 52 wins also in December.

It should come as no surprise then that Brady has the best record among QBs with at least 100 starts, his .769 again comfortably ahead of the next-best performance, Roger Staubach's .746.

Of course, Brady has kept winning as each season has extended into the postseason.

He has 35 playoff wins, too many to compare to one rival QB alone. Among all NFL teams excluding Brady's Pats and Bucs, the Baltimore Ravens have won the most playoff games since 2000. They are on 16.

STILL GOING STRONG

Brady's 2021 performance made his decision to quit something of a shock. Even in his mid-40s, there had been no signs of slowing.

Last season was Brady's 19th different season with 3,000 passing yards – clear of Favre's 18 – and his fifth 4,000-yard season just since he turned 40.

Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Staubach and Steve Young combined for three seasons with 4,000 passing yards for their careers.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has sensationally reversed his decision to retire and will play on for a 23rd season in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The legendary quarterback, who will turn 45 in August, had announced his retirement in early February after a decorated career that included five Super Bowl MVP awards.

But Brady announced the shock decision to change his mind on Twitter on Sunday, stating: "These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it's not now.

"I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG."

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to trade Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns.

According to multiple reports, the Browns will send a fifth and sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for Cooper and a sixth-round pick.

Reports also suggest wide receiver Jarvis Landry will be permitted to seek a trade as a result of Cooper's arrival.

Dallas had been expected to release Cooper to save money against the salary cap but will now at least get something in return for the wide receiver.

The deal sees the Browns land a wideout who has recorded 1,000 yards receiving in three of his last four seasons.

Receiver had been a huge area of need for the Browns, who released Odell Beckham Jr. in November. Beckham went on to win the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

Cooper has scored 46 receiving touchdowns since entering the league as a first-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders in 2015, only seven wideouts have scored more in that time.

He finished the 2021 season with 865 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, helping the Cowboys win the NFC East before their season was ended by a Wild Card round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.

News of the deal comes on the same day it was reported the Cowboys have granted right tackle La'El Collins permission to seek a trade.

Cristiano Ronaldo was back in the Manchester United team to face Tottenham on Saturday after missing the derby drubbing, but there was no Bruno Fernandes.

The absence of Ronaldo for last Sunday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City sparked a fresh wave of speculation about the 37-year-old's United future.

It was put down to a hip problem by interim manager Ralf Rangnick, but former United captain Roy Keane was among those who questioned whether that told the full story.

Ronaldo's Manchester derby absence came after a run of one goal and zero assists in 10 games for United in all competitions this calendar year. That compares to 12 goals and three assists in his opening 19 games upon returning to United from Juventus at the end of August.

He was restored for the visit of Spurs, but Portuguese compatriot Fernandes was surprisingly not involved, three days before United tackle Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.

Rangnick said: "Bruno is ill, unfortunately. He couldn't train yesterday and is therefore not available for the game. Hopefully, he will be back for Tuesday but, today, he is out."

NFL legend Tom Brady, a friend of Tottenham striker Harry Kane, was at Old Trafford for the game.

There was a United start for Marcus Rashford, whose own future has been cast into doubt by reports suggesting he could seek a move at the end of the season. He replaced Anthony Elanga, while Edinson Cavani was named on the bench after recent fitness worries.

Goalkeeper David De Gea featured for the home side after a COVID-19 false positive, while Raphael Varane was back from a coronavirus absence to start alongside Harry Maguire in central defence.

Rangnick told MUTV: "We had a false positive test on David De Gea last night. We then decided to have a second test that was negative and then a PCR test that was negative again, and that's why we can play him after all."

Deshaun Watson was not charged by a grand jury after it considered evidence of sexual assault and misconduct allegations on Friday.

The Houston Texans quarterback faces 22 civil lawsuits, but jurors did not find enough evidence for criminal proceedings.

Watson had strenuously denied the accusations since they emerged last year, overshadowing talk of a trade away from the Texans.

The 26-year-old did not play a single game in 2021, having led the NFL in passing yards in 2020.

"After a Harris County grand jury was presented all the evidence and had the opportunity to hear from all witnesses, grand jurors declined to indict Deshaun Watson," Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, said in a statement released to Stats Perform.

"Grand jury proceedings are secret by law, so no information related to their inquiry may be disclosed."

A widely released statement from Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, said: "We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did.

"Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offences.

"Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce we have."

Watson has been the subject of an investigation from the NFL, and the league said: "We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy."

Russell Wilson joining the Denver Broncos is exactly what the team needed, says wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

After Aaron Rodgers opted to stay with the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos – who had been seen as a possible landing spot for the back-to-back NFL MVP – instead struck a blockbuster trade deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos, who went 7-10 in 2021, will send a package of picks including two first-round selections to Seattle along with players, with quarterback Drew Lock among those to move in the other direction.

Even with Seattle's struggles as they themselves went 7-10 last season, Wilson still ranked sixth in big plays (25+ yards) passing with 36.

He now joins an offense boasting an extremely talented receiving corps featuring Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Tim Patrick.

With Denver also having a competitive defense, they were seen as being an elite QB away from contending, which Sutton hopes has been addressed with nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl winner Wilson arriving.

"We're so excited," Sutton told NFL Network. "Our room, an offense, team, we've had a lot of guys come in and contribute and every step that we've had, it's been appreciated. 

"But to be able to have Russ come in and, having had the success that he's had, having the knowledge that he has, for us as young guys, all the young talent that we have, that's what we need. 

"We need that guy who is going come in and be who he is, what he already brings to the table. We're excited. 

"It sets the tempo for our entire team – everyone understands the time we are on now."

Wilson becomes the latest top-tier quarterback in a loaded AFC West that also includes Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Chargers sensation Justin Herbert and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chiefs have won the division for six straight seasons while the Chargers have just traded for star pass-rusher Khalil Mack to further boost a roster which is led by the impressive Herbert.

Sutton therefore is under no illusions that success will come easily despite the arrival of Wilson.

"We haven't been able to handle the West as we should and as we would like to," he said.

"Getting Russ is definitely going to put us in that spot that we want to be in. It's on us to go out there and put that work together. 

"All these things sound really good, on paper but it's on us to go put this work in, all the way from now to the beginning of the season to be able to put ourselves in that spot to be able to say we are the best in the West. 

"It's not just gonna be something that's given to us because we picked up Russ. It's on us, all of us, to put that work together and take it to that next level, max out that potential."

Wilson threw for 37,059 passing yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his Seahawks career.

During his 10 seasons with Seattle, only three quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson (8.32), Patrick Mahomes (8.10) and Peyton Manning (7.89) averaged more pass yards per attempt than Wilson's 7.83.

He also ranked fourth in touchdown percentage (6.2) and third in passing plays of 25+ yards (323).

The Chicago Bears are sending defensive end Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, according to reports.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Chargers were expected to send a 2022 second-round draft pick and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for the six-time Pro Bowler.

Mack has been on the Bears since 2018, recording 12.5 sacks in his first season with the team for a fourth consecutive year in double figures.

Those numbers have tailed off a little since and the 31-year-old only played in seven games in 2021 due to injury.

However, across his Bears career, Mack still ranked as high as 12th league-wide for pressures. He will now line up opposite Joey Bosa, who ranked eighth over the same period.

Mack is also to be reunited with Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who was the Bears' outside linebackers coach in that strong first season in Chicago.

Staley will hope Mack can have a transformative impact for the Chargers' defense, which gave up 27.0 points and 138.9 rushing yards per game last year.

The Seattle Seahawks have said farewell to another franchise great, confirming the release of linebacker Bobby Wagner on Wednesday.

Confirmation of Wagner's exit comes a day after it was reported the Seahawks had agreed to trade quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal.

Like Wilson, Wagner was a crucial part of the Seahawks team that won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history in the 2013 season.

For many years, he was the gold standard at the linebacker position and still played at an extremely high level for a struggling Seahawks team in 2021, earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection and being named second-team All-Pro.

A six-time first-team All-Pro, Wagner was set to enter the final year of his contract in 2022, but his release saves the Seahawks $16.6million in cap space.

Wagner posted on Twitter: "Thank you Seattle for everything. It will forever be my home."

Since he entered the NFL as a second-round pick in 2012, only Lavonte David (867) has racked up more tackles than Wagner (817), who is third in pass breakups (60) and tied fifth in interceptions (11) in that span.