Derek Carr has spent his entire career trying to convince the Raiders, and indeed the wider NFL universe that he is good enough.
Few quarterbacks to have been as consistent as Carr have inspired such little confidence, his name rarely mentioned among the top players at the NFL's most important position despite him compiling some impressive numbers since arriving in the league.
Drafted in the second round in 2014, Carr has thrown for 31,700 yards in his career, the fourth-most in the league in that span. His 247 passing plays of 25 yards or more is a tally bettered by only four quarterbacks over the same timeframe.
Yet there are plenty of quarterbacks who excel at compiling stats and, for as tedious as the debate around whether wins should be considered a quarterback stat (they shouldn't) is, part of the reason for Carr's lack of recognition comparative to his contemporaries is that he has not been able to elevate the Raiders, either in Oakland or now Las Vegas, to a playoff win.
In efforts to end that wait, there have been reported dalliances with other quarterbacks by the Raiders, most notably with Tom Brady before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Las Vegas has also previously been seen as a destination for Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson but, while the Raiders will get to see new Denver Broncos quarterback Wilson up close twice a season, they are firmly tied to Carr, and have this offseason done an excellent job of setting him up for success.
In Josh McDaniels, they have paired him with one of the league's premier offensive minds and, by spectacularly acquiring college team-mate Davante Adams in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers last week, the Raiders have given Carr the wide receiver many consider to be the class of the league.
With Adams added to an already exciting cast of offensive weapons, Carr has all the tools to definitively prove that, for the Raiders, he has always been the best man for the job.
Carr reaching peak performance
The timing of Carr's reunion with his former Fresno State team-mate Adams could hardly be better, as he is coming off arguably the finest season of his career.
Among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, Carr finished third in well-thrown percentage. Trailing only Joe Burrow and Ryan Tannehill, he delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 81.6 per cent of his passes.
None of the eight quarterbacks to average more air yards per attempt than Carr's 8.29 had a superior well-thrown percentage, his ability to blend ball placement and downfield upside further illustrated by his 67 completions of 20 yards or more in 2021. Brady (75) was the sole quarterback to end the season with more.
Carr achieved those feats despite tight end Darren Waller missing six games of the season and the Raiders losing wide receiver Henry Ruggs III after his November arrest.
He deserves great credit for continuing to thrive in a campaign that saw head coach Jon Gruden resign in disgrace, the Raiders playing the majority of the season under the interim leadership of Rich Bisaccia.
Now with McDaniels at the helm, Carr has a head coach to maximise his skill set and, with Adams joining Waller and Co. on offense, undoubtedly the most talented supporting cast of his career.
A stacked receiver room
It is extremely difficult to overstate the importance of Adams' acquisition.
Over the past three seasons, only one player has racked up more receiving yards than Adams' 3,924. The man who represents his competition for the title of best receiver in the NFL, Cooper Kupp (4,082).
Adams' 34 receiving touchdowns in that span are second to Mike Evans (35), while no player has averaged more receiving yards per game than his 93.4 since 2019.
Producing a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.6 per cent of his targets, Adams was comfortably above the league average for receivers with at least 100 targets of 62. While his position as the NFL's top wideout may be up for debate, his status as one of its elite separators is not in question.
Only four receivers (min. 100 targets), one of which was Kupp (4), averaged more burn yards per route than Adams (3.5) in 2021.
Second (3.4) and first (3.9) in the same metric in 2019 and 2020, Adams' consistency in creating separation from coverage is unmatched, and he should benefit from playing in an offense stacked with bonafide weapons worthy of defensive attention.
Despite missing time, Waller still ended the 2021 season fifth among tight ends (min. 50 targets) in burn yards per target (11.91) and fourth in burn yards per route (3), his size, athleticism and ability to line up at every receiving position on the field making him a mismatch nightmare for defenses when at his best. Only two tight ends, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, have more receiving plays of 20 yards or more since 2019 than Waller (43).
Carr also has an excellent rapport with Hunter Renfrow. They combined for nine touchdowns in 2021, with three of those scores for the diminutive wideout coming on third down.
Yet the nickname 'Third and Renfrow' may have been inappropriately applied. Not because Renfrow isn't great on third down (18 of his 33 third-down targets last year went for first downs), but because team-mate Bryan Edwards might be even better.
Targeted just eight times on third down, six of those throws from Edwards to Carr were completed for a first down. Overall, Edwards had 76.5 per cent of his catches result in a first down last season, the second-best ratio in the NFL.
At 6ft 3in and 215 pounds, Edwards is a still under-utilised physically imposing ball-winner. Between Adams, Waller, Renfrow and Edwards, Carr now has a receiving corps to stack up with any other in the NFL.
Throw in a running back in Josh Jacobs who displayed his ability to overcome substandard blocking by averaging 3.38 yards per carry on runs where there was a disruption by a defender, the sixth-most in the NFL, in 2021, and Carr appears to have everything at his disposal to helm an explosive and dominant offense in 2022. That is presuming, of course, that Carr can re-establish his college connection with Adams.
But there is a risk any potential offensive surge could be cancelled out by the improvements made by the Raiders' rivals in what now looks a hellish AFC West.
Carr’s 'prove-it' year
The trade for Adams was just the latest move in a series of blockbusters from AFC West teams. In respective offseason efforts to end the divisional superiority of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers each made significant additions to their rosters.
Denver hugely upgraded the quarterback position with a stunning trade for nine-time Pro Bowler Wilson, and the Chargers bolstered their defense with a deal to acquire edge rusher Khalil Mack while also signing cornerback J.C. Jackson and run-stuffing defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day.
In essence, the Raiders now have to compete with three elite quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Wilson, and Justin Herbert, all of whom have seen their teams stack the deck around them.
Carr has previously gone blow for blow with both Mahomes and Herbert and won, most famously in Week 18 last season in the epic overtime game that almost ended in a tie that would have sent both the Raiders and Chargers to the playoffs.
However, with the Chargers pairing Mack with another fearsome pass rusher, Joey Bosa, and the Chiefs retaining Frank Clark on a defensive line that also features Chris Jones, Carr's hopes of getting the best of each of those signal-callers could be compromised by the play of his offensive line.
The Raiders' O-Line ranked 21st in pass block win rate last year, with Carr pressured 285 times, the third-most in the league behind Matt Ryan (319) and Josh Allen (312), and yet that area of the team has gone largely neglected in the offseason.
Great quarterbacks can overcome shortcomings at other positions and Carr did so last year in leading the Raiders to the playoffs. Though he may have improved help from a defense that looks better prepared to deal with the threat of opposing offenses after the hire of Patrick Graham as coordinator and the additions of veteran edge rusher Chandler Jones and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, the reality is Carr will likely have to raise his game again if the Raiders are to enjoy postseason success.
The Raiders may look to use what draft capital they have left to improve on the offensive side of the trenches yet, regardless of any further moves to come, the onus is firmly on Carr. His is a career that has been spent trying to prove he belongs in the conversation as a top-tier quarterback. He built a compelling case last season but, flanked by offensive talent ready-made to help him keep pace with Mahomes, Herbert and Wilson, 2022 is the year in which he must definitively win the argument.
Ash Barty has announced a shock retirement from tennis at just 25.
The Australian world number one announced the decision via her Instagram feed.
"I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled," she said.
"Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I'll always be grateful for the lifelong memories that we created together."
Barty has not played since winning the Australian Open final over Danielle Collins in January.
The stars will be out on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena when the Philadelphia 76ers roll into town to take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
After sitting out the second leg of Monday's back-to-back against the Miami Heat, superstar duo Joel Embiid and James Harden should be back in the line-up for the 44-27 76ers as they jostle with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference two seed.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are fighting to keep their head above water, with their 31-41 record leaving them five games behind the eight seed Los Angeles Clippers as they prepare for the impending play-in tournament.
The Sixers are in the midst of a stylistic metamorphosis since the arrival of Harden at the All-Star break, completely re-shaping their offensive profile.
As was expected, the 76ers' free-throw rate (FTR) skyrocketed when it paired arguably the two greatest shooting-foul magnets of this generation.
Their 0.259 FTR – which means Philadelphia was shooting free throws on nearly 26 per cent of their possessions prior to Harden's arrival – was good for fourth in the NBA, with the Houston Rockets leading that category at 0.291.
While league-wide FTR is significantly up since the All-Star break, primarily due to it being artificially low to start the season as referees cracked down on players milking free throws, the 76ers have taken it to the extreme, leading the league at 0.374 following Harden's arrival – with only Philly and the New York Knicks (0.363) above third-placed Denver's 0.310.
No team has posted a FTR higher than 0.374 since Harden and Dwight Howard's 2013-14 Houston Rockets (0.386)
To say the 76ers have relied on free throws to sustain their scoring production is an understatement – since the trade, their 41.4 points in the paint per 100 possessions is the worst in the league, all while the offense revolves around a seven-foot-two behemoth in Embiid.
As has been the case with Harden's teams, specifically during his tenure in Houston, his offenses will live and die with free throws and three-pointers, with the 76ers upping their long-range attempts from 31.7 per 100 possessions to 35.6, moving from 26th in the league up to 11th.
It is irrefutable that Harden has changed this offense but, while Philadelphia's offensive efficiency has increased from 111 points per 100 possessions up to 115.4, their attack remains the 14th-best as league-wide efficiency is up across the board due to shooting fouls increasing and teams finding their rhythm.
On the other side, the Lakers are learning to live without injured centrepiece Anthony Davis, and the numbers have not been pretty on both ends.
Lacking a true interior presence since the All-Star break, the Lakers' FTR has plummeted from eighth in the league (0.251) to 26th (0.239), and their once-vaunted defense has become one of the league's worst.
As well as being 27th in overall defensive efficiency since the All-Star break, the Lakers are the league's second-worst team when it comes to allowing points in the paint.
So what happens when a movable object – the Lakers' paint defence – meets a stoppable force – Philadelphia's paint scoring?
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid
While Harden is a former MVP, Embiid is the favourite for this year's award, and his level of play is usually the deciding factor in whether the 76ers win or lose.
In wins this season, Embiid is averaging 31.7 points and 4.6 assists on 51 per cent shooting from the field, with those numbers dropping to 25.9 points and 3.7 assists on 43 per cent shooting in losses.
Los Angeles Lakers – LeBron James
Simply put, since the All-Star break, the Lakers only win when James dominates.
In that period, the Lakers have a record of 4-9 when James plays, with the four-time champion averaging 45 points, 9.3 rebounds and seven assists in the four wins.
KEY BATTLE – Who wants to run?
A glaring weakness of both teams since the All-Star break has been transition defense, with the Lakers dead last, allowing 18.7 fastbreak points per 100 possessions.
The 76ers have not been much better, coming in at 28th, allowing 16.6 per 100 possessions.
Philadelphia have been criticised for being slow, while the Lakers have been criticised for being old, but which team is going to take advantage?
The Lakers appear more equipped to play an up-tempo style, coming in at fifth in the NBA in fastbreak points per game (14.9), and it is worth noting that no player has more fastbreak dunks this season than LeBron James' 36.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The 76ers won this season's only meeting, coming away with a 105-87 home win in a January game where Anthony Davis played, and played well for the Lakers in the critical absence of James.
Philadelphia won both meetings in the 2020-21 season, with the Lakers' last triumph coming on March 3, 2020.
Shelby Rogers continued her recent good form as she won an all-American clash with Amanda Anisimova in the first round of the Miami Open.
Rogers beat 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko en route to the third round at Indian Wells, where she lost in three sets to last year's US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.
Both Rogers and Anisimova have experience of going into the second week of a grand slam, yet it was the more experienced Rogers who had the edge in South Florida, prevailing 3-6 6-0 6-3 in a stirring comeback.
Speaking on-court after the win, Rogers highlighted the challenge Anisimova poses when she is in form.
"[Anisimova] can come out and dictate play like nobody else when she is on fire, it's hard to do anything," she said.
"I felt like I had to counter that a little bit better. I was a little passive in the first, just running side to side.
"She played incredible. I'm just really happy I closed it out because I knew she was going to raise her level again at the end."
Round two will see a reunion between Rogers and Ostapenko, while Simona Halep, a two-time semi-finalist in Miami, will face Australia's Daria Saville.
Saville, formerly Daria Gavrilova, was ranked as high as 20 back in 2017, but had surgery on her Achilles last February.
A run to the last 16 at Indian Wells, including a top-10 win over Ons Jabeur, delivered a reminder of her quality and she will have the chance to claim another big-name scalp after beating Greet Minnen 7-5 6-3.
Elsewhere in the first round, there were wins for Marta Kostyuk, Magda Linette and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Kaia Kanepi booked a second-round meeting with Sara Sorribes Tormo, while Heather Watson ended her six-year losing streak in Miami and will next face 15th seed Elina Svitolina.
The Miami Dolphins have signed Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead to a five-year contract.
According to multiple reports, the Dolphins are giving Armstead a contract worth up to $87.5million, including $43.37m guaranteed.
Former New Orleans Saints star Armstead was considered by many to be among the top free agents on the market and fills a huge hole for a Dolphins offensive line that struggled significantly last season.
The Dolphins ranked last in the NFL in pass block win rate in 2021, per Stats Perform data.
Armstead should significantly improve their performance in that regard.
The three-time Pro Bowler missed nine games through injury last season but was one of the premier pass-blocking tackles in the league when healthy.
Among tackles with at least 100 pass-block matchups, Armstead ranked third with a stunt-adjusted pass-block win rate of 91.93 per cent.
His addition figures to be a pivotal one to the Dolphins' revamped offense under new head coach Mike McDaniel.
Free agency has also seen the Dolphins add left guard Connor Williams, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert and fullback Alec Ingold.
The Dolphins ended last season 29th in yards per play on offense (4.76) as they finished with a 9-8 record that was not enough to prevent Brian Flores from being fired as head coach.
Lewis Hamilton hopes he can continue to use his position within Formula One to push for greater diversity, saying such an achievement would be "more rewarding than any championship".
The Mercedes driver has won a joint-record seven world titles across his career, tied only with Michael Schumacher, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the sport's history.
Yet he has commanded just as much attention for his off-track activities in recent years, with the Briton leading anti-racism and pro-LGBTQ demonstrations within F1.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – where he protested against anti-LGBTQ laws last year – Hamilton revealed he hopes to thrive in continuing to push for broader change.
"That's my role here I think to continue to hold those conversations, sit with Stefano [Domenicali] and say what are you doing and how can we work together?" the 37-year-old told Sky Sports.
"It goes back to bringing people on the journey rather than calling people out and unfortunately it takes a lot of yapping, but I think people seem more keen to be on the journey together and they empathise more with it and say yes, we can do a better job.
"I've got this platform and I am able to apply pressure in an uncomfortable way sometimes, but also it is a real opportunity to spark that change and that for me is more rewarding than any championship.
"My goal is that in the next five, 10 years you're looking back at the sport and I am watching TV, hopefully with my kids, and they see young women engineers and mechanics and they'll know there is an opportunity."
Having lost the 2021 F1 World Championship to Red Bull's Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances, Hamilton was denied a record-breaking eighth title.
But while winning honours remains a motivation for Hamilton, he feels such feats do not move the needle on the matters he wishes to help solve.
"I think as I started getting older, I started thinking I am winning these championships but what does it really mean?" he added.
"I realised that these championships are very rewarding personally, but they're not changing anything.
"You have another credit to your name, but it doesn't change the world, it doesn't change the fact we still have wars, we still have racial injustice.
"There are still people being abuse, there are all sorts of things out there, so what are we going to use this medium for, what are we going to use this platform for?
"I guess I really discovered my purpose – it's not just being a racing driver."
Za'Darius Smith has agreed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, according to reports.
The 29-year-old became a free agent after being released by the Green Bay Packers, and has now signed on with their NFC North rivals.
Reports suggest Smith's contract in Minnesota will have a base value of $42million, and potentially be worth up to $47m with incentives.
He had been expected to return to the Baltimore Ravens last week – whom he left for Green Bay in 2019 – supposedly agreeing to a four-year, $35m deal, but later pulled out.
In the days following Smith's apparent signing, both Von Miller and Chandler Jones – who are several years older than Smith – signed contracts with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders respectively, worth nearly double the annual salary of the deal offered by the Ravens.
The versatile edge rusher recorded 18.5 sacks in four seasons in Baltimore after he was drafted in the fourth round in 2015.
He then racked up 26 sacks across his first two years in Green Bay, helping them to back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances.
However, a back injury limited him to just one regular-season appearance in 2021. Smith returned for the Packers' Divisional Round matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, but could not prevent a 13-10 defeat.
The Buffalo Bills have brought in running back Duke Johnson and wide receiver Jamison Crowder.
AFC East winners the Bills, who have been rated as the early Super Bowl favourites for 2022, continue to be active in free agency.
Having previously brought in star pass-rusher Von Miller, they added Johnson after missing out on the signing of J.D. McKissic to the Washington Commanders.
Pass-catching RB Johnson signed a one-year deal which has now been confirmed by his agents.
He has spent time with the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins in recent seasons but is best known for a four-year stint with the Cleveland Browns to start his NFL career.
Crowder, meanwhile, has been productive when healthy over recent seasons despite playing for the struggling New York Jets in the same division as the Bills.
The wideout has reportedly signed a one-year deal worth up to $4million, helping to fill the void left by Cole Beasley's recent release.
Crowder racked up 188 catches over the last three seasons despite missing nine games through injury.
Elsewhere, Buffalo's rivals for AFC supremacy the Kansas City Chiefs have signed wide receiver Corey Coleman.
A former first-round pick with the Browns, Coleman has not caught a pass since 2018, but the Chiefs have opted to take a flyer on the Baylor product, who was not on an active roster last season.
Fresh from their dramatic moves at the quarterback position, the Atlanta Falcons have remained active.
As well as confirming their previously reported re-signing of offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, they added free agent pass rusher Lorenzo Carter, formerly of the New York Giants, on a one-year contract.
Drew Lock is relishing the chance of a "fresh start" with the Seattle Seahawks and is aware of the size of the task that awaits him after replacing Russell Wilson.
The 25-year-old has been acquired by the Seahawks as part of a deal that saw Wilson head the opposite way to the Denver Broncos.
Lock appeared in just six games for the Broncos last season, starting only half of those, but he is hopeful of getting his career back on track in a new chapter in his career.
"I was ready for something to happen, and then when I found out that this is what happened, I was really, really excited," he said.
"I'm excited for a fresh start, excited to come in and compete for a starting job and do everything I can to show this organisation and show this league what I'm capable of doing.
"I've got new team-mates, new coaching staff, new energy, new this, new that, new feel, whatever it may be, a new practice field, it's just the true definition of a fresh start.
"You get to make a new identity for everything, you get to come in and show these people how hard you want to work, how bad you want it, how bad you want to win games.
"There's just a lot of good that can come from a new chair in a meeting room. There's a lot that goes into all this, and a fresh start for me is really, really exciting."
Lock is competing for a starting spot with Jacob Eason, the only other QB on the Seahawks' roster, and is confident of adapting to Shane Waldron's offensive system.
"I obviously know a little bit about coach Waldron's system, which is similar to the one I ran my rookie year when I first got in the league," Lock said.
"We won four of the five games, and I played efficient football, took care of the ball, scored in the red zone, hit the deep shots when they were there.
"When we start talking and getting into the deep details of his offense, we'll put it all together and end up being able to put a good offense together that makes my skill set shine.
"I can throw the deep ball, I can move around in the pocket, I can play-action. Whatever you might need me to do, I'll be able to do it."
Lock will wear the number two jersey with the Hawks as a sign of respect for the departing Wilson, who spent nine years with Seattle.
Wilson threw for 37,059 passing yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his Seahawks career and he averaged 7.83 pass yards per attempt.
That is a tally only Deshaun Watson (8.32), Patrick Mahomes (8.10) and Peyton Manning (7.89) bettered among quarterbacks across that period.
He also ranked fourth in touchdown percentage (6.2) and third in passing plays of 25 yards or more (323), leaving a massive void to be filled in the 2022 season.
But while Lock is full of respect for what Wilson achieved with the Seahawks, he is out to write his own chapter at Lumen Field.
"As long as football goes on, Russell Wilson will be very special to this place, very special to Seattle," he said.
"I know what it takes to, kind of build a legacy. You wouldn't go wear 18 in Indianapolis, you wouldn't go wear 12 in Green Bay. It's a sign of respect for him from me.
"But also at the same time, I want to write my own story here. I want to see what two does for us. I want to make that me.
"I don't want to fight against Russell, he's done so many great things for this place and so many great things for the city of Seattle and the state of Washington.
"I want two to be Drew, and that's just kind of been my mindset on it.
"I have the utmost respect for him and that was a move in showing that."
Eddie Hearn thinks a world heavyweight title rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will take place at the end of June.
Usyk outclassed Joshua to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF titles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
Plans for a second bout have been up in the air after Usyk returned to Ukraine to defend his homeland following the Russian invasion.
Hearn, Joshua's promoter, believes Usyk will be allowed to leave his country in order to step into the ring with Briton Joshua again.
Asked whether Joshua will face Usyk next, Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show: "I think that's the most likely scenario.
"We had those conversations about a week ago and I had my doubts as to whether Usyk would be ready, but I believe now that there’s been some kind of conversations with Usyk and even [Vasily] Lomachenko as well with the government to say 'look, how do we sit in terms of competing in major sporting events'.
"I don't think Usyk's going to want to wait, once you start waiting anything can happen, so we actually had some talks this morning."
Hearn says Joshua could take an interim fight if he is made to wait for another bout with Usyk.
He added: "I do think Usyk will take that fight next, we're looking at the end of June for that fight and that’s when the fight has got to take place by.
"If he's not ready, we'll push for an interim fight, but my gut feeling right now, and this could change is that you will be seeing Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk for the unified world heavyweight championship next."
Rafael Nadal has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks with a cracked rib suffered during last week's Indian Wells Masters.
The Australian Open champion sustained the injury in his semi-final win against Carlos Alcaraz and visibly struggled to breath during his defeat to Taylor Fritz in the final.
Nadal told reporters that he was "all good" when returning to Spain on Tuesday, but it has now been revealed he has a stress fracture in the third left costal arch.
The timeframe for the Spaniard's recovery is between four and six weeks, which could have a major impact on his preparations for the 2022 French Open.
The second grand slam of the year is scheduled to begin at Roland-Garros on May 22 – around eight weeks' time.
Nadal had won each of his opening 20 matches this calendar year, a run that took him to his second title at Melbourne Park, prior to tasting a shock defeat against Fritz.
And the record 21-time major winner, who endured an injury-plagued 2021, is now facing a battle to be back at peak fitness in time for the French Open.
Providing an update on his personal Twitter page on Tuesday, Nadal posted: "As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks.
"This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am sunk and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time.
"I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results.
"But hey, I've always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again thank everyone for the support."
Nadal has won the French Open a record 13 times, with his most recent success in Paris coming in 2020.
He was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in last year's semi-finals – only his third defeat in 108 matches in the event.
Leonard Fournette has become the latest player to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to reports.
After Tom Brady made a sensational U-turn on his decision to retire, Chris Godwin also agreed to a three-year deal worth $60million with the Bucs after being franchise tagged by the team who won Super Bowl LV at the end of the 2020 season.
Fournette is understood to be signing a new three-year deal in Tampa Bay worth $21million, potentially rising to $24m.
The 27-year-old running back reportedly visited the New England Patriots, who had also shown interest in him when he left the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, on Monday.
However, like then, Fournette looks to have decided on the Bucs, where he enjoyed a productive 2021 season.
His 1,266 total yards from scrimmage ranked sixth in the NFL, as he rushed for 812 yards, caught 69 passes for 454 yards and scored a total of 10 touchdowns.
Fournette's 4.5 yards per carry average last season was a career-high.
His best game of the season came in the 38-31 win at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, scoring four TDs, making eight first downs and racking up a total of 131 yards from 24 touches.
Fournette was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring issue following Week 15, but returned for the divisional round defeat to eventual Super Bowl LVI winners, the Los Angeles Rams.
The man nicknamed "Lombardi Lenny", or "Playoff Lenny", had previously put in a 135-yard performance as the Bucs won Super Bowl LV, beating the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chris Hoy has labelled Mark Cavendish's spectacular Tour de France comeback as "one of the greatest" in sporting history.
Cavendish, a silver medallist on the track for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games, made a stunning return to Le Tour in 2021.
Having not featured in the race since 2018, Cavendish came in as a late replacement for Deceuninck-QuickStep and landed four stage wins, seeing him match the great Eddy Merckx's career record of 34 stage victories that had stood since 1975.
Indeed, Cavendish went into the final stage with the opportunity to surpass Merckx, though he could only finish third in a sprint finish on the Champs-Elysees. He nevertheless took the green jersey for the second time in his career.
It was an unlikely road back for 36-year-old Cavendish, who just last week became the oldest winner of the Milano-Torino.
"Oh, I think Mark Cavendish's comeback last year was one of the greatest in sport we've ever seen," Hoy, one of Great Britain's greatest Olympians, told Stats Perform.
"It was, I don't think even he had really thought that he was gonna have such an impact, and to be called in so late in the year. He had a really solid year, started winning again, he got his confidence back.
"But I don't think that he even envisaged that he would be competing in the Tour de France, let alone winning multiple stages and equalling the greatest of all time in many people's eyes.
"He's having a fantastic year this year as well, but regardless of what he does from now on he is a legend of the sport and that will not change. An extra Tour de France stage win is what he wants, but it wouldn't make him any more of a legend in my eyes.
"I'm sure for most of the cycling community his place is already cemented forever. He is a proper legend of the sport."
For Hoy, Cavendish's legacy is secured around the globe.
"I think Mark has real global appeal," Hoy said. "He's well known in the UK and has a huge following over here, but equally wherever he goes, wherever he competes, because of the way he raced, because he's so exciting, because there's always drama surrounding him.
"He either wins or there's always some controversy or something. It is great for the sport. I think the best thing about his comeback is seeing how much it means to him and the emotion, because sport is nothing without emotion.
"If somebody wins just routinely, and it becomes almost easy looking, even if it's not, but if it appears to be easy and there's no emotion, then it's hard for the public to get behind that. But for Cav, he's always had that emotion, people love to see how much it means to him.
"We've never seen Cav quite as emotional as when he won his first stage of the Tour last year, it was incredible."
Marc Marquez revealed he has been suffering from double vision again after a huge crash that ruled him out of the Indonesian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The six-time MotoGP champion hit the ground hard in a massive highside at Turn 7 during the warm-up for the race at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit.
Marquez was left dazed after landing heavily and was taken to hospital for a check-up.
The Repsol Honda rider suffered concussion and was unable to start the first grand prix in Indonesia since 1997.
Marquez was diagnosed with diplopia following a crash in practice at the Portuguese Grand Prix last year and the Spaniard has been troubled by the same issue following his latest accident.
The 29-year-old revealed he has not suffered as badly as he did previously and did not state whether he will be able to get back on his bike for the next race in Argentina on April 3.
He tweeted on Tuesday: "It seems that I am experiencing deja vu... During the trip back to Spain, I began to have discomfort with my vision, and we decided to visit Dr. Sanchez Dalmau, who confirmed that I have a new episode of diplopia.
"Fortunately, it is less severe than the injury I had at the end of last year. But now it's time to rest and wait to see how the injury evolves."
Chris Hoy believes "fierce competitor" Egan Bernal can return to full strength despite the injuries he suffered in a horror crash earlier this year.
Bernal, who won the Tour de France in 2019 and the Giro d'Italia in 2021, was treated in intensive care following the accident in Colombia in January.
The 25-year-old underwent multiple operations after sustaining a fractured vertebra, a fractured right femur, a fractured right patella, chest trauma, a punctured lung and several fractured ribs.
Bernal subsequently revealed in a social media post that there was a "95 per cent chance" of him being paralysed or losing his life.
However, after leaving hospital, Bernal is now on the road to recovery and this month shared a photo of him training on a static bike at home.
Hoy, speaking to Stats Perform to mark 500 days until the start of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, said he is hoping Bernal will be back competing at the highest level after a long road to recovery.
"I guess it's always hard to tell just how bad an injury or how bad mentally a big crash can affect athletes and with social media, you're always trying to portray the best possible side and the positive side all the time," said Hoy, who is one of Great Britain's most successful Olympians with six gold medals.
"But there is no doubt that no matter how well he's doing now, it will have been a huge struggle to get past the physical injuries and the psychological scars as well from such a horrible accident.
"He is a fierce competitor, all the other team-mates who know him say that if anyone can, he can, and I think the cycling community is hoping that he will get back to his very best and be able to compete on the biggest stage. But, you know, it's not a small challenge that he's facing, but we'll have to wait and see."
Four-time Tour de France winner and Bernal's former INEOS Grenadiers team-mate Chris Froome also suffered a horrendous crash in 2019, which put him out of action for almost a year.
Froome was 34 when that accident occurred, and Hoy says Bernal at least has age on his side.
"I think Bernal’s age will help, that the chances on getting back and competing at the highest level, are definitely improved by the fact that he is still relatively young," Hoy said.
"But until you get back into that real cauldron of competition you just don't know what it's going to be like and I guess the longer you're away from competing, the more that fire burns and the more you want to get back and taste that victory again."
Lonzo Ball's recovery from a left knee injury will be slowed with Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan revealing they will "pull back" on the guard's rehabilitation process.
Ball, who is averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season, has not played since January 14 when he sustained a slight meniscus tear, which required arthroscopic surgery.
The Bulls have been without Alex Caruso in recent weeks too, coinciding with their slide down the Eastern Conference standings to fifth with a 42-29 record.
Donovan said the Bulls would pause Ball's recovery for 10 days, taking him up to April 1, leaving only five regular-season games for him to return prior to the playoffs.
"The feeling was, let's really pull back on what he's doing and let's let him, I don't want to use the word rest because it's not like he's sitting around doing nothing – he'll do strength training and those kind of things – but take a break on the running and trying to ramp him up," Donovan told reporters prior to Monday's 113-99 win over the Toronto Raptors.
He added: "We'll have a better feel of that once they get through this next 10 days. Obviously, it's coming to the end of the season.
"I think that they felt like, OK if he can, over this 10-day period, really get back to the ramp-up period, because he has been out for quite some time, that would enable him to get back into contact relatively soon.
"But we can't even get him into that until he gets over that hump, so I don't want to speculate what may or may not happen after 10 days."
LeBron James hopes former teammate Kevin Love harbours no resentment after a brutal dunk in the Los Angeles Lakers' 130-121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James' return to Cleveland saw him put up a triple-double of 38 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, along with the dunk on his championship-winning teammate Love.
Attacking off an Austin Reaves dish inside, the 37-year-old launched to the basket with Love underneath, and the knee in the chest only served as a punctuation mark to what was a ferocious dunk.
Afterwards, James joked he hopes the invitation to the wedding of Love - whom he played with at the Cavs from 2014 to 2018 - is not rescinded.
"It was after the offensive rebound so I was diving down the middle, and once I got the bounce pass and put my left leg down on the ground, that's when I looked up," James said at the post-game news conference.
"To be completely honest, I hate that it had to be him. He's my guy, that's my brother and I hope I'm still invited to the wedding.
"That's not even in my all-time dunks so take it out. Kevin Love, I love you. I wish I could take those two points back and we'd still win by nine."
After last Sunday's demolition at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers have regrouped on this road trip and if not for a fourth-quarter collapse against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, would be coming back home with a three-game win streak.
James believes performances have nevertheless been encouraging, with the Western Conference play-in on the horizon.
"For about 11 quarters, we've played some good basketball," he said. "Aside from the fourth quarter in the last game, we've played some good basketball and want to continue that trend.
"Obviously we want to defend a lot better, but this team is making a lot of shots, making a lot of plays and scoring a lot of points versus everybody.
"To come into this building, where [they] have played some exceptional basketball all year, on the last game of a road trip before we head back west, it was a big game from us."
Brooklyn Nets' All-Star Kevin Durant has showered praise on upcoming opponent Ja Morant comparing him to Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.
The Nets take on Morant's Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, with Durant describing the first-time All-Star as a combination of Jordan, Iverson, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose.
Morant has enjoyed a breakout year after being pick two in the 2019 NBA Draft and leading the Grizzlies to the playoffs last season.
The 22-year-old Memphis guard is averaging 27.6 points up from 19.1 points in the 2020-21 season along with 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals this season for the playoffs-bound Grizzlies who have a 49-23 record.
"He's a combination of players, I feel," Durant told reporters after the Nets' 114-106 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday.
"I think the greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point, and I think Ja is on the way to that. I mean when he's playing I see like two or three or four different hall-of-famers in his game.
"From Iverson, he might make a Jordan-like lay-up, he might run down the court like a Westbrook or a D-Rose. His float game is up there with some of the best that's ever played.
"I don't wanna gas him up too much since we're playing against him, but I think the sky is the limit for him. His future is obviously bright, and he makes everybody better playing against him."
On the Grizzlies, Durant added: "When you got a future Hall of Famer at the head of the snake, it just makes everybody better."
Durant scored 37 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in Monday's win as the Nets improved to 38-34.
The Nets forward surpassed close friend Jerry West (25,192 points) into 22nd on the NBA's all-time scoring charts with his 37-point haul on Monday.
"Winning the championship with Jerry, having conversations with him, knowing the history of who he is, he helped kickstart the NBA basically, it's an honour," Durant said.
"He's a legend in the game. He's almost like the godfather of our sport. Good to see him back around our game but it's even better to pass him. He's one of the all-time great players in this league."
Durant moves to 25,213 points, with Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller next above him on 25,279 points.
LeBron James scored 38 points and notched up another triple-double upon his return to Cleveland, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-120 win over the Cavaliers on Monday.
Other than this season's All-Star Game, it was Akron-born James' only home visit. Having played 11 seasons in two stints with the Cavs, he was warmly received as he added 10 rebounds and 12 assists to those 38 points.
Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin added 20 points each for the Lakers, who moved three games clear of the 10th-placed San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference play-in calculations.
Meanwhile, the Cavs only just remain in sixth in the Eastern Conference at 41-31, one game clear of the Toronto Raptors in the first play-in spot.
Durant gives Jazz the business in Brooklyn
Kevin Durant was at his talismanic best, as the Brooklyn Nets won 114-106 at home to the Utah Jazz.
Durant had 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc, as well as coming up with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Brooklyn look set to secure an Eastern Conference play-in spot at 38-34 in eighth, and despite 30 points for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell couldn't stop the Nets from snapping their three-game win streak.
Maxey catches fire in Heat win
Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, propelling the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers to a 113-106 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.
Without Joel Embiid and James Harden, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz added 20 and 18 points respectively, while Maxey made critical buckets down the stretch.
In a game that was tight throughout, the 21-year-old came up big in the clutch, scoring on a drive plus the foul to give the Sixers a 106-101 lead with 2:18 remaining.
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