The first day of the new league year in the NFL brought about several transactions on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Chargers released one of their longest-tenured players, the Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with the big-name quarterback they acquired last off-season and the Miami Dolphins cut their four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
The Chargers released wide receiver Mike Williams to free up $20million in salary cap space.
Going into the final year of a 2022 contract extension that included $40million in guaranteed money, Williams missed nearly all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 3.
The seventh overall pick of the 2017 draft, Williams had spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Chargers.
His best season came in 2021, when he had career highs of 76 receptions for 1,146 yards, along with nine touchdowns.
The Raiders released Jimmy Garoppolo and receiver Hunter Renfrow in a pair of widely expected moves.
Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75million contract with Las Vegas last season, but was benched after making just six starts.
Last month, he received a two-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The Raiders agreed to a deal earlier this week with Gardner Minshew, who will compete with Aidan O'Connell for the starting quarterback job.
Renfrow put together a huge season in 2021, catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards to earn a two-year contract extension worth $31.7million, but he's managed just 61 receptions for 585 yards and two TDs in the last two years combined.
The Dolphins released Xavien Howard, who is tied for fourth in franchise history with 29 interceptions.
Howard, who had spent his entire eight-year NFL career with Miami, led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2020 and was named a first-team All-Pro.
The Tennessee Titans, meanwhile, added a pair of players, signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley, as well as quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Ridley signed a four-year, $92million contract after finishing with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards with eight touchdowns while starting 17 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.
Rudolph had spent the past four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, going 8-4-1 in 13 starts. He won the final three regular-season games last season to lead the Steelers to a play-off berth.
Giants releasing embattled quarterback Daniel Jones
The Daniel Jones era in New York has officially ended.
The Giants agreed to Jones’ request to be released Friday morning, ending a rocky partnership that lasted nearly six seasons.
Giants president John Mara said in a statement that Jones’ release “would be best for him and for the team.”
“Daniel has been a great representative of our organisation, first class in every way,” Mara said in the statement. “His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.”
The Giants benched Jones in favour of Tommy DeVito during their bye week. On Thursday, Jones told reporters he takes “full responsibility” for not winning more as the captain of one of the NFL’s signature franchises.
After learning of his new role, however, Jones asked the team to be released.
Jones signed a four-year, $160million contract extension before the 2023 season. Jones will go through the waivers process, but teams are likely unwilling to pay the rest of that contract. If he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants will absorb a salary cap hit of around $20million by releasing Jones.
Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft and has started 69 games over the last six seasons.
The former Duke quarterback had his best season in a contract year in 2022, throwing 15 touchdowns to just five interceptions and adding 708 yards and seven scores on the ground.
Jones has thrown eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season for the 2-8 Giants and ranks 32nd among qualified quarterbacks with a 79.4 passer rating.
Browns score late touchdown to end Steelers' streak in snowy contest
Nick Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown in heavy snow with 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned division rival Pittsburgh 24-19 on Thursday night, ending the Steelers' five-game winning streak.
Chubb's score came in his first game against the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-3) since the running back sustained a season-ending left knee injury on a carry last year at Pittsburgh.
The Browns (3-8) had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down 19-18 before getting the ball back with 3:22 remaining after Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman shanked a 16-yarder.
With snow piling up and covering the yard lines on the field, Cleveland's Jameis Winston completed a third-down pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Pittsburgh 9. Two plays later, Chubb barrelled into the end zone.
The Steelers had one last chance, but quarterback Russell Wilson's Hail Mary on the final play was knocked down by Browns safety Grant Delpit in the end zone, touching off a wild celebration at Huntington Bank Field.
NFL: Texans bounce back, extend Cowboys' woes
Joe Mixon's 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns helped get the Houston Texans back on track with Monday's 34-10 win over the floundering Dallas Cowboys.
Houston (7-4) snapped a two-game losing streak behind Mixon's powerful running and a defence that sacked Cowboys' fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush five times and forced two turnovers, including a fumble Derek Barnett returned 28 yards for a touchdown that gave the Texans a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
Dallas (3-7) has now lost five straight, its longest skid since dropping seven in a row in 2015, and fell to 0-5 at home. The Cowboys have been outscored by 118 points (187-69) at AT&T Stadium, the third-largest negative differential through five home games in a season in NFL history.
Rush did throw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin in his second straight start subbing for an injured Dak Prescott, and finished with a career-high 354 passing yards with one interception while completing 32 of 55 attempts.
C.J. Stroud threw for 257 yards with an interception for Houston, which extended its lead over the second-place Indianapolis Colts to two games in the AFC South.
The Texans never trailed after Mixon ripped off a 45-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive, and the veteran running back added a 1-yard scoring plunge late in the first quarter to give Houston a 14-0 lead.
Turpin got Dallas on the board by taking a short pass from Rush and breaking free from the Houston defence nine seconds into the second quarter, but the Cowboys were shut out in the second half after pulling to within 17-10 on Brandon Aubrey's 53-yard field goal with just under six minutes left before half-time.
Burnett's strip sack of Rush and return of the resulting fumble helped put the game away with 12:31 left, and Mixon tacked on his final touchdown of the night with 3:16 remaining to cap a 35-yard drive that began after the Texans stopped the Cowboys on downs.
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