Aaron Rodgers has agreed to terms on a four-year, $200million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The quarterback's future had been the subject of much speculation, with the four-time MVP non-committal on whether he would return to Green Bay for the 2022 season having entered the 2021 campaign in the wake of a stand-off with the Packers after his desire to leave was reported on the opening night of last year's draft.
A move elsewhere and retirement both seemed to be options on the table for Rodgers, who won a second successive MVP by leading the Packers to a NFL-best 13-4 record last season.
But relations between Rodgers and the Packers at the end of the season appeared more amiable than they were back in April of 2021.
Rodgers told The Pat McAfee show of his conversations with the franchise after the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers: "I would say the meetings were much different than they've been in the past, in a positive way, and that there were some real, honest conversations that I appreciated."
Green Bay's hiring of Tom Clements, who worked with Rodgers and the Packers from 2006 to 2016, as their quarterbacks coach for 2022 pointed towards him staying at Lambeau Field.
And Rodgers will now likely end his career where it started after agreeing to a deal worth $50m annually that keeps him under contract with the team for the next five seasons.
With the burning issue of the offseason resolved, Green Bay's attention will likely turn to keeping Rodgers' favourite target, wide receiver Davante Adams, on the roster and preventing him testing unrestricted free agency as the Packers plot a way to get over the hump after coming up short in the postseason yet again.
Having ended his staring contest with the Packers and reported for training camp, Rodgers' 2021 campaign was partly defined by controversy after a positive coronavirus test revealed previous misleading statements about his vaccination status, while his spread of misinformation regarding vaccines has unquestionably damaged his reputation.
On the field, he did not quite reach the heights of his magical 2020, but he still finished the regular season with 37 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, giving him the best touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL.
Among quarterbacks with 200 passing attempts, only Justin Herbert (2.30) threw a lower percentage of interceptable passes than Rodgers (2.36).
No quarterback delivered a higher ratio of throws that resulted in a first down than Rodgers, who did so on 40.1 per cent of his attempts, while he was second in passer rating on third down (112.2) behind Kyler Murray (118.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts in that situation.
However, Rodgers was shackled by the 49ers' defense in the playoffs as the Packers went one and done, losing 13-10 in the Divisional Round in an all too familiar tale for Green Bay.
Since Rodgers led the Packers to glory in Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season, they have reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs eight times but have never returned to the Super Bowl.
Now, the 38-year-old has until the end fo the 2026 season to change that fact.
Aaron Rodgers has agreed to terms on a four-year, $200million deal with the Green Bay Packers to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Mike Gesicki looks set to have a role in the Miami Dolphins' offense in 2022 after he was franchise tagged.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Dolphins had elected to keep Gesicki around for a fifth season by opting to place a one-year franchise tender on the tight end.
Miami can still sign Gesicki to a long-term deal, but the Dolphins must do so before July 15. Otherwise, Gesicki will play on the tender, which for tight ends is worth $10.9million.
Last season, Gesicki recorded career highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (780), though he caught only two passing touchdowns.
He will hope to have a greater impact under new head coach Mike McDaniel, who replaced Brian Flores after he was fired despite a second successive winning season, the Dolphins going 9-8 in 2021.
McDaniel arrived in Miami having served as Kyle Shanahan's offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and spent the vast majority of his career working with Shanahan.
The coaching switch would therefore appear to bode well for Gesicki. Since Shanahan took charge of the Niners in 2017, only Travis Kelce (78.8) has averaged more receiving yards per game among tight ends than San Francisco's George Kittle (67), giving Gesicki cause for optimism he can enjoy a significant bump in production playing under one of the newest members of that ever-expanding coaching tree to land a top job.
The ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four grand slam organisers have announced the Tennis Plays for Peace campaign.
Along with the campaign, which will include efforts on social media and at tournaments, each of the seven organisations has pledged to donate $100,000 to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.
Russia invaded the country on February 24 and the conflict is still ongoing. Well over one million refugees are estimated to have fled to neighbouring countries in Europe.
A joint statement from tennis' governing bodies on Tuesday explained that the campaign is not just about donations.
"The seven bodies will also signal support via their social and digital platforms by prominently featuring the Ukraine ribbon icon, with everyone in the tennis ecosystem encouraged to use the hashtag #TennisPlaysforPeace," it read.
"In addition, physical ribbons will be distributed for ATP and WTA players to wear at the upcoming BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells."
Last week, the ITF banned Russian and Belarusian teams from competing at the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup. Russia are the holders of each title.
The ATP and WTA, meanwhile, allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to carry on competing, but only under neutral banners.
That includes ATP world number one Daniil Medvedev and WTA world number three Aryna Sabalenka.
Ireland and Leinster star Johnny Sexton has signed a new contract that will run until after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The 36-year-old has captained his country since January 2020, leading them to 10 wins in 13 matches in that time.
Sexton has played 103 times for Ireland in his storied career and reached the milestone of 500 points in the Six Nations in the 29-7 win over the defending champions last month.
A four-time European Champions Cup winner with Leinster, Sexton is now looking ahead to the prospect of a fourth World Cup finals appearance in France next year.
"I always said that if I am enjoying my rugby and the Ireland and Leinster set-ups believe I can add value to the environment then it would be an easy decision to sign another contract," the fly-half said.
"There is some great talent coming through at Leinster at present and I am excited about the prospect of competing at a fourth World Cup with Ireland and the potential for growth in this group between now and then."
David Nucifora, performance director for Irish Rugby, said: "Johnny's performances continue to be of the highest standard and he remains an integral member of the Ireland and Leinster squads.
"He has always been a leader on the field and in the past two years since taking on the Ireland captaincy his leadership off it has been top class. Johnny is a generational player and we are delighted that he has extended to 2023."
Steve Kerr believes Nikola Jokic should win a second consecutive NBA MVP award after seeing the superstar center take apart his Golden State Warriors team.
Jokic finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in the Denver Nuggets' 131-124 defeat of the Warriors.
It was a second straight triple-double and league-leading 18th of the season for the Serbian, who also tops the charts for double-doubles (52).
The Nuggets are missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. due to injury, but Jokic's 25.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game have them sixth in the West – now just four games back on the Warriors, who have lost five straight.
Golden State have allowed 122.6 points per game across that losing run – the third-most in the league in that time – and Kerr was not surprised to see them punished by Jokic. The Warriors had rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
"You score 124, you shoot 51 per cent, you make 17 threes, you're usually going to win," Kerr said.
"But we're playing against the reigning MVP, who probably should win it again. I don't have a vote, but Jokic is just an unbelievable player. He was spectacular tonight.
"He makes all of his team-mates better, he makes defense so difficult, because no matter what you do he's got a counter for it, and he's playing the game at such an easy pace. Things look so smooth for him out there.
"With our defense coming into this game already struggling, he's a tough guy to face when you're not already well connected at that end of the floor."
Luka Doncic maintained his record-breaking pace as he broke into the top 10 scorers in Dallas Mavericks history on Monday.
Doncic, still just 23 and in only his fourth season in the NBA, scored 35 against the Utah Jazz to move to 6,485 points in a Mavs uniform, nudging ahead of Jay Vincent (6,464) into 10th place.
The Slovenian has reached that mark in just 248 games, with only eight NBA players scoring more at this stage of their careers since 1963-64 – essentially a who's who of the sport's greatest names, including Michael Jordan (8,023), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7,896), Shaquille O'Neal (6,766) and LeBron James (6,593).
Only among Mavs players, nobody can match Doncic, with Mark Aguirre (6,169) the sole other to pass 6,000 points within 250 games. Unsurprisingly, Doncic's 26.1 career points per game lead all-time Mavs players.
"There's some great scorers on that list," coach Jason Kidd – who is 15th (5,258) – said after the win against the Jazz.
"To do it in less than four years... that's pretty impressive. Kudos to him. He's special, and he showed it tonight."
Doncic is scoring 28.0 points per game this season – good for fifth in the NBA, as Joel Embiid's 29.7 points lead the way.
After a slow start, the Mavs superstar has accelerated up the standings in his past 15 games, averaging 34.1 points as well as 10.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
Since the 1976-77 merger, the only other players to average 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists over a 15-game span have been Jordan and Russell Westbrook.
Doncic told reporters he was not aware of breaking into the Mavs' top 10 but said of the scoring pace that put him there: "Is it good? Could be better, right? Could be better."
Russell Westbrook told a San Antonio Spurs fan not to "disrespect my name" and vowed to do so again as he stood by his wife's claims of death wishes.
Before Westbrook played in the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-110 defeat to the Spurs, his wife Nina revealed abuse she had received.
She wrote on Twitter: "When I'm being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games, and I'm having obscenity's [sic] and death wishes for me and my family sent my way because you're expressing your 'truth', it's hard for me to get on board with that."
And after the game, former NBA MVP Westbrook said: "I 100 per cent stand behind my wife and how she's feeling.
"It's not just this year. She's reached a point and my family has reached a point where it's really weighing on them.
"It's very unfortunate just for me personally because this is just a game, this is just a game. This is not end all, be all."
Westbrook has endured a tough season with the Lakers, for whom he is earning more than superstar team-mates LeBron James and Anthony Davis in 2021-22.
But the 33-year-old – who is averaging 18.1 points per game, his lowest mark since 2009-10 – has decided criticism of his displays is going too far when it involves abusing his family name.
"When it comes to basketball, I don't mind the criticism of missing and making shots," he continued. "But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue."
Westbrook revealed his approach had been altered by hearing of the pride his son, Noah, had in his surname, causing the Lakers star to push back at his "Westbrick" nickname.
"'Westbrick' for example, to me, is now shaming," he said. "It's shaming my name, my legacy for my kids.
"It's a name that means [a lot], not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.
"A lot of times, I let it slide. But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice. There's a difference. We need to make sure it's understood.
"And every time I do hear it now, I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."
Gregg Popovich did not answer a single question on his record-tying 1,335th NBA win in his post-game news conference – and Jakob Poeltl revealed there was no discussion of the achievement in the San Antonio Spurs locker room either.
Popovich, in his 26th season with the Spurs, oversaw a 117-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to move level with Don Nelson's all-time benchmark.
But the five-time champion and three-time Coach of the Year reserved no time for reflection on that feat in a short chat with the media.
Popovich preferred instead to discuss the Spurs' poor free-throw shooting, their "sloppy" first half and a strong defensive showing.
And Poeltl suggested it was a similar story in private, with the center – who had 18 points – expecting the 73-year-old to remain humble when he moves past Nelson with his next win.
"You guys know Pop," Poeltl said. "I don't think he really cares about stuff like that.
"It didn't even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It's just how he is."
It was left to Lakers coach Frank Vogel to salute his opposite number's accomplishment then.
"[I have] incredible respect for who he is as a coach," Vogel said. "We all, younger coaches, look up to him and admire him and respect what he's done and what he means to our game.
"I'm certainly happy for him. I wish it wasn't against us, but Pop's the best."
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rovers believes Ben Simmons deserves a tribute when the Brooklyn Nets visit on Thursday.
Simmons left the 76ers acrimoniously with a trade to the Nets after more than five years with Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old point guard endured a difficult 2021 playoffs leading to a fallout with the 76ers, demanding a trade and sitting out the first half of the season before the Nets move materialised.
Simmons and 76ers center Joel Embiid fell out too, ramping up the tensions with the latter posting a cryptic Twitter update upon Simmons' exit last month.
“I do actually,” Rivers said when asked if Simmons deserved a tribute video upon his return. “Ben did a lot of good things here.
"It didn’t end well, right? Just like marriages and all kinds of other things that don’t end well but Ben did a lot of good things here.
"It’s funny, I don’t know if we are or not, but if we did, I’d have no issues with it.”
Simmons won the 2018 Rookie of the Year, had been a three-time All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member with the 76ers reaching the playoffs in all four of his seasons with the side.
The Australian is yet to debut for the Nets and unlikely to play on Thursday as he builds up his conditioning having not played all season at the 76ers but may attend the game with the team.
Rivers sarcastically added: "Our fans are so silent so I can't imagine anything happening."
Meanwhile, James Harden shrugged off any talk of nerves ahead of the match-up where he will face his former Nets teammates for the first time since last month's trade with Simmons.
"I'm not nervous, it's basketball," Harden told reporters after Monday's 121-106 win over the Chicago Bulls. "I've put the work in to just play my game and live with the results.
"Honestly every game is a big game for us. We're fairly new, we've got championship aspirations so every game is a learning process for us no matter who we're playing."
All-Star Draymond Green has revealed he is targeting a return to the NBA next week after being sidelined since January with a lower back injury.
Green has not played for the Golden State Warriors since January 9, with the side struggling recently, losing nine of their past 11 games.
The 32-year-old four-time All-Star revealed that he was hoping to play next week when the Warriors face the Washington Wizards.
"Next Monday, the 14th, against the Wizards. That is the date I am targeting," Green said on his podcast 'The Draymond Green Show'.
"I am excited as hell. It's been two and a half months, almost ... I have never missed that much time during the season ... this is something different for me. I am extremely excited to get back out there with my guys to try right this ship."
Green was absent as the Warriors lost 131-124 to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, marking their fifth straight defeat.
The game was a catch-up fixture rearranged from December 30 due to COVID-19, which left Warriors head coach Steve Kerr frustrated, particularly with another game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"It puts us in a way tougher spot than them," Kerr told reporters pre-game. "We had to fly here again. They didn't have to make an extra trip.
"They've got to play a back-to-back, I know. This was just another in many, many games rescheduled around the league that are inconvenient for everybody, but necessary to keep the league going, so you just do what you have to do."
On Green's progress, Kerr added: "He's had about a week, week and a half of being on the court almost every day, getting a lot of shots up, scrimmaging. He's feeling a lot better and coming along."
The Philadelphia 76ers maintained their perfect record with James Harden in the side with a 121-106 win over the slumping Chicago Bulls on Monday.
Joel Embiid scored 43 points with 14 rebounds while Harden had 16 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists as the 76ers made it six wins from their past seven games.
The 76ers are also 5-0 with Harden in the side, while the Bulls have lost their past five games.
Embiid recorded his 10th 40-plus point game this season, along with his 10th game this season with 40 or more points and 10 or more rebounds. The 76ers center also had his fourth quarter for the season with at least 15 points and five rebounds, which is an NBA high.
For the Bulls, All-Star DeMar DeRozan had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Zach LaVine added 24 points.
Jokic records 18th triple-double
Nikola Jokic backed up Sunday's 46-point haul with another triple-double as the Denver Nuggets defeated the short-handed Golden State Warriors 131-124. Jokic had his 18th triple-double of the season by three-quarter time and finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. The Warriors, who rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins in the catch-up game, have lost nine of their past 11 games.
Luka Doncic scored 35 points, with 16 rebounds and seven assists in a tense game, where the All-Star received a technical foul, as the Dallas Mavericks won 111-103 over the Utah Jazz. Doncic's game marked his third this season where he has scored 35 or more points and 15 or more rebounds, with Oscar Robertson the only other guard to achieve the feat in a single season.
Victor Oladipo returned for the first time since April last year for the Miami Heat scoring 11 points in 15 minutes as they beat the Houston Rockets 123-106, while top draft pick Cade Cunningham (28 points and 10 assists) lifted the Detroit Pistons to an over-time win over the Atlanta Hawks 113-110.
Spurs equals record as Lakers slump
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson's all-time NBA record for most coaching wins (1,335) as they won 117-110 over the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James. Russell Westbrook struggled in James' absence, with 17 points shooting five-of-14 from the field with five turnovers.
Naomi Osaka has been handed a difficult first round draw against 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens upon her return to the WTA Tour at Indian Wells which starts on Wednesday.
Four-time major winner Osaka has not played competitively since her 2022 Australian Open third-round exit to Amanda Anisimova in January.
The Japanese, whose ranking has dropped to 78th, had been handed a wild card for Indian Wells but was upgraded to the main draw after Camila Giorgi's withdrawal.
The Indian Wells draw was made on Monday with Osaka to face Stephens who won her first WTA title since 2018 with last month's Abierto Zapopan crown.
The top seeds all have been waived through to the second round with top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Aryna Sabalenka book-ending the draw.
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev has been issued a suspended eight-week ban and $25,000 fine by the ATP following his expulsion from last month's Mexico Open in Acapulco.
Zverev was withdrawn from the Acapulco event after an extraordinary outburst during a doubles match where he became angered at a call made the umpire, who overruled a decision from the line judge.
After losing the next point, which was match point, Zverev smashed his racquet against the umpire's chair three times. Zverev then shouted at the umpire that he had "destroyed the whole f****** match" before striking the chair again.
The ATP subsequently withdrew Zverev from the singles draw of the event due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the time and issued a statement on Monday after a review detailing the sanctions, including a suspended eight-week ban for aggravated behaviour.
"The review determined that Zverev committed Aggravated Behaviour under the Player Major Offense section of ATP Rules," the ATP statement said.
"As a result, Zverev has been issued an additional fine of US$25,000 and a suspension for a period of eight weeks from any ATP-sanctioned event.
"However, the fine and suspension are withheld on the condition that, over a probation period ending 22 February 2023 (one year from the incident), the player does not incur a further Code Violation that results in a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct… and verbal or physical abuse."
The German had been fined $40,000 at the time as well as forfeiting full event prize money of $31,570 and all ATP rankings points from the Mexico Open. He has since apologised for his actions.
LeBron James has been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday due to "significant" knee soreness.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel revealed the news prior to tip-off with James battling soreness in his knee following Saturday's 56-point display in the 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors.
Vogel said the issue was ongoing and part of the 37-year-old's game-to-game management.
"He had some soreness in the knee the day after the game that [normally] subsides by the next game," Vogel told reporters pre-game.
"When we got here [San Antonio] the soreness today was still significant enough for us to rule him out."
The Lakers are struggling with a 28-35 record seeing them sit ninth in the Western Conference but James has been exceptional this season.
The 2003 number one Draft pick is averaging 29.4 points per game this season, behind only Joel Embiid with 29.5.
James, who is also averaging 8.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season, has the fourth highest league-wide minutes per game this season with 36.8.
"With the heavy load that he's carrying for us this year, we know that's [games out] always a possibility," Vogel said.
"That's why we continue to list him as questionable to see how it responds in the 48 hours between games. This is just one of those days where it was significant enough to hold him out."
Vogel said he was "hopeful" the four-time NBA MVP would be fit to play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have confirmed All-Star center Jarrett Allen will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a left middle finger fracture.
Allen suffered the injury in Sunday's 104-96 win over the Toronto Raptors that improved the Cavs' record to 37-27.
The 23-year-old only played 10 minutes, scoring six points with two rebounds, before sustaining a quad injury that forced him out of the game, with the finger issue later emerging.
"A CT scan administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a fracture and he will undergo additional evaluation and treatment," the Cavs said in a statement on Monday.
"No timetable has been set for his return to basketball activities and his status will be updated as appropriate."
Allen has been a key part of the Cavs' surprise playoffs push, averaging 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks this season.
The Cavs are already missing Collin Sexton (knee), Caris LeVert (foot) and Rajon Rondo who was signed after Ricky Rubio's season-ending ACL injury.
Allen got his maiden All-Star call-up this season as a replacement for the injured James Harden.
The NFL has informed its teams that the salary cap will be set at $208.2 million per franchise for the 2022 season, according to reports.
This is up from last season's cap of $182.5m by $25.7m, and matches up with previous projections from December.
The league's cap had dropped from $198.2m for the 2020 season as a result of COVID-19 implications as teams played in front of limited or no crowds, but will now raise beyond $200m for the first time ever.
The NFL Network reported the figure on Monday, and is the maximum amount agreed upon by the NFL and NFL Players Association in May last year.
The NFL has suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for at least the 2022 season for betting on league games in 2021.
Ridley's bets were made over a five-day span in November when he was away from the team to focus on his mental health and was on the reserve/NFL list.
The league opened an investigation and concluded there was no insider information on the betting activity and none of the coaches or players on the Falcons were aware or involved.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the ban on Monday, notifying Ridley of his suspension in a letter, writing:
"There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL's success - and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league - than upholding the integrity of the game. This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone else employed in the league.
"Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL.
"For decades, gambling on NFL games has been considered among the most significant violations of league policy warranting the most substantial sanction. In your case, I acknowledge and commend you for your promptly reporting for an interview, and for admitting your actions."
Ridley, who was slated to make $11,116,000 in 2022, may not apply for reinstatement until February 15, 2023.
The NFL Network reported that Ridley made parlay bets on NFL games using his cell phone, but the specific games he bet on has not been revealed.
The player has not responded to the suspension, but the Falcons issued a response on Monday.
"We were first made aware of the league’s investigations on February 9," the Falcons statement said. "We have cooperated fully with the investigation since receiving notice and support the league's findings and actions. We are moving forward in the 2022 season with the decision that was made."
Ridley appeared in just five games in the 2021 season, catching 31 passes for 281 yards with two touchdowns after finishing tied for fifth in receiving yards in 2020 with 1,374.
The Cleveland Browns have placed the franchise tag on tight end David Njoku.
Njoku was set to hit unrestricted free agency but the Browns made the move to place a one-year franchise tender on Njoku before Tuesday's deadline, according to a report from NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
The 2017 first-round pick has yet to live up to expectations since the Browns took him with the 29th overall selection five years ago.
His best season in terms of receiving yards came back in 2018 when he finished with 639, but he has since struggled with injuries.
He played in only four games in 2019 and 13 in 2020 as the Browns reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Njoku started 11 of his 16 games in 2021 and finished with 475 yards and four touchdowns in a campaign that saw a disappointing Browns team fail to qualify for the postseason.
However, his average of 13.2 yards per reception ranked fourth among all qualifying tight ends, and, by tagging Njoku, the Browns clearly believe he can have a more significant impact on their offense.
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