The New York Giants have committed to Daniel Jones as their future at quarterback, signing him to a $160million extension while franchise tagging running back Saquon Barkley.
Negotiations between the Giants and Jones went right down to the wire as they looked to get a deal done before Tuesday's franchise tag deadline.
Jones and his representation had been said to be demanding as much as $45m a year following a 2022 season in which he helped the Giants reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
New York's Wild Card round win over the Minnesota Vikings was the Giants' first in the postseason since they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at the end of the 2011 campaign.
Instead, Jones will receive an average of $40m over the course of a four-year deal, which contains $35m in incentives and will see him get $82m over the first two years.
Jones, a previously maligned sixth overall pick in 2019, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, completing 67.2 per cent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He added 708 yards and seven touchdowns as a runner.
The Giants finished 9-7-1 in a turnaround few expected, but their decision to make Jones the seventh-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL by annual salary after one season of production that was still a long way from the league's elite will raise eyebrows.
Barkley will remain with the Giants at a much cheaper price, with the franchise tag set to pay him $10.1m for 2023.
The second overall pick in 2018, Barkley had seen his career hindered by injuries in recent years but bounced back last season to rack up 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
New York used the non-exclusive tag on Barkley, meaning teams can still negotiate with him.
The Giants would have the chance to match any deal he may make with a rival team, who would have to give two first-round picks to New York if they chose not to match.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott to have season-ending surgery
Dak Prescott won't play again for the Dallas Cowboys this season.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Prescott will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair his torn hamstring and is out for the remainder of the season.
"His prognosis is wonderful," Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "It just means we're not going to have him for the rest of the year."
Prescott sustained the injury in the Cowboys' 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on November 3, and he sat out this past Sunday's 34-6 home drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles - Dallas' fourth consecutive defeat.
There was some hope that he wouldn't need surgery and return this season, but he has decided to have the procedure to repair a partial avulsion of the hamstring tendon.
The recovery time for his surgery is at least three months, and the Super Bowl is just under three months away.
With a 3-6 record, Dallas' chances of making the Super Bowl are slim, and it looks like the franchise will miss the play-offs for the first time since 2020 after going 12-5 each of the past three seasons.
The Cowboys' offence also looked completely inept in its first game without Prescott.
Cooper Rush started against the Eagles, but threw for just 45 yards - the fewest by a Cowboys starting quarterback in a game since Matt Cassel had 37 in a 19-16 loss to the New York Jets in 2015.
Trey Lance ended up replacing Rush, and passed for 21 yards, giving Dallas 66 total passing yards - the fewest by the team in a game since having 34 in a 10-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener after finishing as runner-up in NFL MVP voting in 2023, was off to a slow start to the 2024 season with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions through eight games.
NFL: Dolphins end skid, halt Rams' win streak
Tyreek Hill scored his first touchdown since the season opener and the Miami Dolphins put forth a stout defensive effort to get back in the win column with Monday's 23-15 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Miami (3-6) held the Rams to five Joshua Karty field goals and sacked Matthew Stafford four times to end a three-game losing streak and halt a run of six losses in seven outings. The win was also the first in three starts for Tua Tagovailoa since the star quarterback returned from a concussion that sidelined him four games.
Tagovailoa completed 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards with one interception and had a 1-yard touchdown strike to Hill that gave the Dolphins a 17-6 lead in the third quarter. Hill, who tied for the NFL lead with 13 touchdown catches last season, ended a stretch of seven consecutive games without reaching the end zone.
The Dolphins also got an 18-yard touchdown run from rookie receiver Malik Washington in the first quarter and three field goals from Jason Sanders to end a three-game winning streak for Los Angeles (4-5).
Stafford threw for 293 yards on 32-of-46 passing, but was intercepted once while directing an offence that settled for Karty field goals on three trips inside the red zone.
The Rams also struggled on third downs, converting just three of 12 opportunities while Miami went 6 of 13 in such situations.
Puka Nacua had nine catches for 98 yards for Los Angeles, which dropped to 1 1/2 games back of the first-place Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. Team-mate Cooper Kupp finished with seven receptions totalling 80 yards.
'Any way you win is good', says Mahomes after Chiefs drama
Patrick Mahomes says "any way you win is good" in the NFL after the Kansas City Chiefs blocked a last-minute field goal to beat the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs held out for a 16-14 win on Sunday, with their defense proving the difference as Denver's only points were all scored in the second quarter.
Leo Chenal then pulled off the big play in the final seconds to secure the win, blocking Will Lutz's 35-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds.
Kansas City trailed 14-3 late in the second half before Travis Kelce's touchdown and Harrison Butker's two field goals turned the game in their favour.
And even though the Chiefs' offense was not at its best, Mahomes, who completed 28 of 42 passes for 266 yards, says they are still happy with the result.
"Yeah, they all feel like wins," the quarterback told reporters. "I've learned that any way you win is good in this league.
"Obviously, there's stuff to learn from. I thought we did good things in good spots. I missed – I mean, if I made the touchdown throw to Trav [Kelce] and I made the touchdown throw to [Xavier] Worthy, we're probably in a different situation.
"I think more than anything [during the last play], I was just sick that last drive because I missed that touchdown throw that would've given us the chance to make it where they [the Broncos] had to score a touchdown.
"I thought our defense stepped up in that second half and did a great job. I was just happy. I was happy that we ended with that block and Leo [Chenal] got through there. It was just joy after that."
The two-time reigning Super Bowl champions are aiming for an unprecedented 'three-peat' and are on a 15-game winning streak, including the playoffs, dating back to Week 17 of last season.
Kansas City (9-0) are the only team in the NFL with a perfect record so far, and though Mahomes was delighted to keep that run going, he acknowledged it would be tough to maintain it.
"You live for these moments [at the end of the game]," he added. "When you grow up playing football, you live for the walk-off, whatever it is.
"It's special when you build [with] these guys for so long, and you've built this chemistry with them and guys get to make that play.
"It's week-to-week in this league. We know it’s going to be a great challenge this next week – Buffalo's playing great football.
"We know they'll be fiery, and they're going to be trying to beat us, so we're going to [have to] play better and execute at a higher level in order to win."
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