Aaron Rodgers insists he enjoys a "great" relationship with New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, despite being fined for skipping a mandatory mini-camp last month.
Legendary quarterback Rodgers joined the Jets ahead of the 2023 season after 18 years with the Green Bay Packers, only for a ruptured Achilles to end his campaign in Week 1.
The four-time NFL MVP is hoping to make a more meaningful contribution in his second year in New York, but his offseason has not been without controversy.
He joined edge rusher Haason Reddick in skipping a mini-camp in June, with Saleh saying both players would be subject to fines after failing to provide an explanation.
Rodgers was on vacation in Egypt at the time of the missed camp and while he regrets the scheduling conflict, he says there is no ill feeling between Saleh and himself.
"It's obviously more of an issue outside the building than there was inside the building," Rodgers said after practice as the Jets returned for preseason this week.
"Robert and I are great. We had great conversations throughout the offseason. [We] had a fun one last night in his office until later on. So, it is what it is.
"I'm an adult. I knew what I was getting into. I knew the fine that was coming and also knew how much I wanted to be in Egypt.
"I wish there hadn't been a conflict scheduling-wise, but it was what it was."
Saleh also played down the incident on Wednesday, telling reporters: "I've had dialogue with Aaron throughout the summer. I got some cool pictures from him.
"We had our normal conversations. Nothing has been broken, but the mini-camp stuff, we talked beforehand, so we are on the same page with everything that happened."
As the 40-year-old approaches his 20th year in the league, his sole focus is on guiding the Jets to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
"The goal is New Orleans. That has to be the focus," Rodgers said. "It's going to take a nice training camp to feel like myself."
Atlanta Falcons QB Cousins cleared to practice
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was on the field for the Atlanta Falcons' first training camp practice after being cleared to participate by the team's medical staff.
Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters Thursday that Cousins, recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon sustained in October, will be under slight restrictions during camp but is still expected to handle the majority of first-team reps during team drills.
"Obviously, we'll do some sort of our own modifications [like] some of the things we did with Kirk during the spring, but he's ready to go," Morris said.
"He's fired up, the team's fired up. The limitations for him, you won't notice."
Cousins suffered the injury on Oct. 29 in what turned out to be his final game with the Minnesota Vikings. The four-time Pro Bowl selection signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in March to address the team's most glaring need, a top-tier starting quarterback.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old is expected to open the season as Atlanta's starter despite the Falcons selecting former University of Washington star quarterback Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick of this year's draft.
Cousins did take part in some drills during the Falcons' offseason training activities in May, but was mainly limited to individual work.
"I think the precaution [in OTAs], I think was pretty much helpful for how we go about the business of keeping people away from him," Morris said. "Now there will be people to be around him, and we feel comfortable with that moving forward and doing some of those things.
"Obviously, some of these limitations will come in our individual drills, making sure we don't wear him out to the point where we want to get all the team reps with him."
Cousins was in the midst of another strong season in 2023, as he was leading the NFL in touchdown passes (18) at the time of his injury in Week 8. The 12-year veteran completed 69.5 per cent of his passes for 2,331 yards with five interceptions in eight games, though the injury prevented him from likely reaching 4,000 passing yards for a fourth straight season.
Morris is also in his first season as the Falcons' permanent head coach, though he went 4-7 as the team's interim coach in 2020 after Atlanta fired Dan Quinn during the season.
Atlanta has finished 7-10 in each of the last three seasons and has missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, tied with the Carolina Panthers for the longest active drought among NFC teams.
Barkley slams 'disrespectful' Giants over failed contract talks
Saquon Barkley has accused the New York Giants of adopting a "disrespectful" approach during the failed contract talks that led to him joining the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75million deal with the Eagles in free agency earlier this year, having failed to agree fresh terms with the Giants.
Having been taken second overall by New York in the 2018 NFL Draft, the running back managed 5,211 rushing yards and 2,100 receiving yards through 74 regular-season games with the team.
He only enjoyed one playoff run with the team, however, losing 38-7 to the Eagles in the divisional round to cap the 2022 season.
Barkley has repeatedly claimed he wished to stay with the Giants, only to be left feeling undervalued by the offers put forward by general manager Joe Schoen.
He reiterated those claims in an interview with The Athletic, saying: "I was a little fed up, to be honest.
"It felt like the only way the Giants wanted me was if I was able to go show my worth to someone else.
"I had to go prove that a team would want to pay me, so then, maybe, they would want to pay me.
"I felt like it was a little disrespectful, to be honest. Because it's kind of like a slap in the face. It was over after that phone call.
"I never felt like we really got a fair negotiation. Joe, he made a comment that negotiations took 10 years off his life. What do you think it did for me?"
The Eagles open their 2024 campaign against the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo on September 7, with their meeting with Barkley's former team set for October 20.
Campbell pens $76.5m extension with Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have confirmed cornerback Tyson Campbell has signed a four-year contract extension worth $76.5million.
Campbell, who will earn a guaranteed $53.4million, has become the sixth-highest-paid corner in the NFL.
The 24-year-old was the first pick of the second round of the 2021 draft and has six interceptions, 30 pass breakups and 203 tackles in three seasons.
Campbell enjoyed his best season in 2023, making three interceptions, 15 pass breakups and 70 tackles.
He was limited to 11 games in 2023 because of a hamstring injury and had just one interception and five pass breakups.
Campbell is the third player signed to a long-term deal by the Jaguars this offseason alongside Josh Hines-Allen and Trevor Lawrence.
"I'm blessed to stay in Jacksonville and thankful God is allowing me to continue building something special with my brothers on the field and in the community," Campbell said.
"I want to thank the Jaguars for making my NFL dreams come true three years ago and for still believing in me today."
"Tyson is a young, talented player who is an integral part of our defense and core member of our locker room," general manager Trent Baalke added.
"He is a consummate professional on and off the field and we are confident that his best lies ahead.
"We have consistently messaged the importance of extending our core players and this is another step forward in honouring that commitment."
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