The New Orleans Saints have struck a deal with Tre'Quan Smith to keep the wide receiver with the team.
Smith has signed a two-year deal worth $6million, potentially rising above $10m with incentives, according to NFL Network.
Despite making a number of roster moves to ensure they could get under the salary cap and hiring a new head coach, the Saints' offense will ultimately have a similar look to 2021 when it takes to the field this year.
Jameis Winston has returned at quarterback with Smith again joining Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway to make up the receiving corps.
Smith, 26, has been with the Saints since they picked him in the third round in 2018.
He has caught 17 touchdown passes in that time, though last year's total of three was a career-low, as was his yards per reception mark of 11.8, which compares to 15.3 in his rookie year.
Former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been promoted to head coach with the Saints, replacing Sean Payton after his successful 15-year run in the job.
Solomon Thomas, the former number three overall pick, has agreed to join the New York Jets.
According to widespread reports, defensive lineman Thomas has signed a one-year deal with the Jets after spending last season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Thomas had a career-high 3.5 sacks as well as 12 QB hits with the Raiders in 2021 despite not starting any games.
The 26-year-old spent his first four seasons with the team who drafted him, the San Francisco 49ers, where Jets head coach Robert Saleh previously served as defensive coordinator.
While Thomas has not lived up to his lofty draft position, the rebuilding Jets will hope his reunion with Saleh proves to be a productive one.
The Jets struggled to a 4-13 record in Saleh's first season, but are optimistic about posting an improved 2022 campaign after a productive free agency period.
The Buffalo Bills have decided to match the offer sheet offensive lineman Ryan Bates signed with the Chicago Bears.
AFC East champions the Bills had until Tuesday to decide whether they would ensure they kept the restricted free agent.
To do so, they had to match the Bears' four-year contract offer, which reportedly includes two fully guaranteed years at the start of the deal.
Guard Bates, who also had free-agent visits with the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, will now remain with the Bills.
The 25-year-old joined Buffalo in a 2019 trade from the Philadelphia Eagles.
"We have kind of pondered that and worked through it – obviously we are tight on the cap, but we are going to bring Ryan back," Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed.
"It's really important for us to be strong up front, both lines. Ryan's a versatile player. He can actually play all five spots, but most importantly, he's been a center, guard he's filled in.
"We thought when he had his opportunity this year, he did a heck of a job starting the last four regular-season games and then the two postseason games.
"It didn't seem too big for him. You want to keep as many of those key pieces, he knows our system. He obviously knows [quarterback] Josh Allen."
Bears GM Ryan Poles was frustrated, saying: "I just found that out.
"It stinks. But that's part of the RFA process. So we'll adjust and we'll keep adding players. It's out of your control."
The Bills, who are rated as the early Super Bowl favourites, also brought back offensive lineman Ike Boettger after agreeing a one-year deal.
Dillon Brooks has again criticised Andre Iguodala for not having "the vision" to see what this Memphis Grizzlies team would become.
Iguodala and the Golden State Warriors lost 123-95 in Memphis on Monday, falling five games behind the second-placed Grizzlies in the Western Conference.
For Iguodala, it was a fourth game against the Grizzlies and second return to Memphis since he was traded to the team by the Warriors in 2019.
The former NBA Finals MVP chose not to play for the Grizzlies in a 2019-20 season in which they finished with a 34-39 record and eventually secured a trade to the Miami Heat before heading back to the Bay Area in 2021.
Iguodala's wish to sit on the sideline while a young Grizzlies team battled in the NBA was criticised by guard Brooks, then in his third season.
"I can't wait until we find a way to trade him, so we can play him and show him really what Memphis is about," Brooks said in comments shared on social media by Ja Morant, prompting a back-and-forth with Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
Neither Morant nor Curry played on Monday due to injury, but Iguodala moved to 0-4 against the Grizzlies since leaving the team.
"[The team] has developed a lot [since then]," said Brooks, who scored 21 points on nine-of-15 shooting.
"We all had the vision and he didn't, which is perfect. Send him back to the Warriors and let him do his thing over there.
"From the beginning, we were growing a base, we had a base, then we just kept building and building and building, and more guys got on the train.
"We were able to create something like this and keep building this dynasty."
The Grizzlies are now a sensational 18-2 without Morant this year, but the Warriors are just 3-9 without Curry.
After the game, in which Golden State coach Steve Kerr was ejected, Iguodala said: "What we can't do is play the blame game when things don't turn out the way they should.
"We had such a great start, things were panning out, and injuries in professional sports you get bit by and you just keep moving forward.
"We've got a group of guys where I think we can get it done. Hopefully we can get healthy, but one thing we have to do is realise that we have to be smart about how we start to implement guys.
"Steph's out and you can't replace that – he's one of the top players ever. We don't want to rush him back or put too much pressure on him, that's how you get another injury.
"That's kind of what happened to me all year, trying to rush back, so we've got to try to be smart about it, try to hold down the fort.
"Interestingly enough, we're going to have to use the playoffs to get better, too. That's just the situation."
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen says his team are not shopping Saquon Barkley, even though he had taken calls from other NFL teams about the running back.
Barkley was drafted to huge fanfare at number two overall in 2018 and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year as he racked up 15 total touchdowns in his debut campaign.
The 25-year-old has struggled to recapture those performances since, with injuries hindering him along the way as a torn ACL in 2020 limited him to just two games that year.
As the Giants rebuild with a new GM and head coach, there was trade talk at the scouting combine about Barkley, who is now playing under his fifth-year option worth $7.2million.
But Schoen has clarified that his previous comments about listening to calls did not mean he was keen to see the player move on.
"I reached out to him immediately after all that happened at the combine," Schoen told ESPN about Barkley, who averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in 162 attempts last year.
"Again, it would be irresponsible for the team if a team calls – I think 31 other GMs would say the same thing – if somebody is going to call and offer you something ridiculous, you're going to listen.
"It doesn't mean you're going to make a deal or say yes to it. That was taken a little bit out of context. So I haven't called one team on Saquon Barkley.
"Everybody ran with that from the combine. I said I would listen if people called on any players. It would be irresponsible if I didn't. That doesn't mean I'm going to do every deal.
"I've got calls about a few of our players. He's one where a couple teams have reached out.
"But I'm not shopping Saquon Barkley. The guy was the number two pick in the draft for a reason. He's got a lot of talent and I'm looking forward to working with him."
New York have not won a playoff game since their Super Bowl triumph at the end of the 2011 season.
Brian Daboll, who like Schoen has just arrived from the Buffalo Bills, is the team's fifth head coach since two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin departed after the 2015 campaign.
Giants co-owner John Mara was also asked about Barkley this week and called him "a great representative" for the team who "could have a very big year".
But he stressed any football decisions lay with Schoen and Daboll.
Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers are keen to have Rookie of the Year contender Evan Mobley fit again as soon as possible following an ankle injury.
Mobley went down in Monday's 107-101 win over the Orlando Magic, having played just 13 minutes.
There was no official word from the Cavs on his status, but ESPN reported it was a left ankle sprain, with X-rays coming back negative.
Mobley has averaged 14.9 points per game this year, while his 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 dunks and 1.6 blocks lead all rookies.
No Cavalier has played more than his 2,274 minutes, meaning the 20-year-old center will be a big miss as long as he is out while the Eastern Conference's seventh seeds prepare for the playoffs.
"With Evan, it's sometimes hard to tell because he's so quiet," said team-mate Love. "But I think he rolled it pretty good.
"It just takes the air out of the building and takes the air out of the team. It definitely has gutted us to lose Evan, whether it be for a game, two games, three games, whatever it may be.
"We just need to keep fighting and hope he recovers quickly and can be back out there with us, because he means so much to the team."
The win over the Magic moved the Cavs to 42-33, ensuring their first winning season since 2017-18 and their first without LeBron James since 1997-98.
Mobley's is not the team's first injury either, with Jarrett Allen and Rajon Rondo each out since early March. Collin Sexton, Ricky Rubio and Dean Wade are all done for the season.
Those absences are having an impact, with the Cavs 7-12 in their past 19 games, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged how hard it was for the team to deal with this latest setback against the Magic.
"They have continued to stick together, fight for one another," Bickerstaff said.
"The injuries take a toll on you mentally and can be a distraction, and through that distraction, we complicated the game to a point where we didn't have to.
"I thought if we were continuing to do the simple things over and over again, we were getting positive results. We figured out a way."
Andy Reid insists there is no rift between him and Tyreek Hill after the Kansas City Chiefs traded their star wide receiver to the Miami Dolphins.
In the latest blockbuster move of an incredible offseason in the NFL, Hill was traded to Miami for five draft picks last week.
The Dolphins then handed Hill, a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, a four-year, $120million contract extension with $72.2m guaranteed, making him the highest-paid player at his position.
Hill was a pivotal part of a Chiefs team that has reached the AFC Championship Game for four straight years and won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2019 season.
Chiefs coach Reid stressed that his departure was directly related to contract negotiations and the Chiefs' situation with the salary cap.
"I love Tyreek Hill," said Reid, per ESPN. "There's no rift between Tyreek Hill and myself.
"I thought he deserved an opportunity if that's where he wanted to go.
"He's a family man that has a few kids and he's got to be able to support them now and down the road, and this gives him an opportunity to do that.
"At the same time, it gives us great compensation."
Speaking publicly for the first time since the trade, Reid made it clear the Chiefs' initial intention was to find a way to keep Hill.
He added: "We came in aggressive [with a contract offer], and after we got to a point, we just said, 'Listen, in this day and age you have issues you have to deal with, with the cap'.
"So we felt like it was better to allow him to go ahead and be traded. You can go different routes with a player. You can play hardball or you can go about it the way I did, or we did.
"You've got to be able to manage that the right way.
"If you're paying all of your money to a quarterback and you can't surround him with players, that can be a problem.
"So you have to find a way with a Tyreek Hill maybe that you have to get rid of so you can replenish. That's offense and defense. I'm not just talking about the offensive side."
The departure of Hill is a huge blow for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, though Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster are two free agent pass-catchers who have been brought in so far.
"You want to surround him with great players," added Reid when he was asked about Mahomes.
"We did try to sign Tyreek at a certain cost. Once it gets past that, now you can see what we're doing here with the players we brought in and we feel they're very good football players.
"[General manager Brett Veach] is building this thing to where we feel comfortable that we can go win on Sundays."
The Chiefs have won the AFC West division for six straight seasons but face fierce competition this year.
Seattle Seahawks great Russell Wilson has been signed by the Denver Broncos to play QB, while the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders have also strengthened with big moves.
All NFL teams must hire a minority offensive assistant coach from next season, the league has said.
It was also agreed among owners at Monday's annual general meeting to add women to the Rooney Rule, as well as encouraging more diversity in ownership groups and announcing the creation of a Diversity Advisory Committee.
There are currently just five minority head coaches in the NFL, and it is hoped that by increasing the talent pool among offensive coaches – which is often from where head coaches are hired – that number will increase over time.
Chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee Art Rooney II, who is also owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and whose father the 'Rooney Rule' is named after, said: "It's a recognition that at the moment, when you look at stepping stones for a head coach, they are the coordinator positions.
"We clearly have a trend where coaches are coming from the offensive side of the ball in recent years, and we clearly do not have as many minorities in the offensive coordinator [job].
"So, without oversimplifying it, it's really an effort to try to bring more talented minority coaches to the offensive side of the ball. Both within the league and hopefully attract those talented individuals from the college ranks."
Minority coaches now make up 39 per cent of the NFL total according to league data, which is a rise from 35 per cent at the start of the 2021 season, while there are 12 women in coaching positions.
The addition of women to the Rooney Rule means they are now included as a "minority" of which at least two must be interviewed, but this does not necessarily mean a woman and a person of colour will always be part of the process as a hiring team could in theory interview two women, or two people of colour.
"The truth of the matter is that as of today, at least, there aren't many women in the pool in terms of head coach," Rooney added. "We hope that is going to change over the years, but for that reason we didn't see it as inhibiting the number of interviews for racial minorities at this point in time.
"Obviously, we can address that as time goes on, but for now we didn't see that as an issue.
"Really, we are looking at probably the early stages of women entering the coaching ranks, so we may be a little ways away before that becomes a problem."
Albert Pujols looks to be preparing for his final MLB season after returning to the St. Louis Cardinals, who hope he can help take them back to the World Series.
Future Hall of Famer Pujols has signed a one-year, $2.5million contract back in St. Louis, where he started his career in 2001.
In 11 seasons with the Cardinals, the 42-year-old won three National League MVPs, made nine All-Star Game appearances and claimed two World Series titles.
Now, after nine and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before ending last year on the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is ready for one final push.
"This is it for me," Pujols said. "This is my last run."
Pujols appears set to play in a part-time role, as a designated hitter against left-handed pitchers and as a late-game pinch-hitter.
He added: "I think I am here for a reason. They believe I can still play this game."
Pujols may no longer be the difference-maker he was in those two title runs, but the Cardinals have not added to their 11 World Series wins since then, losing to the Boston Red Sox in 2013.
Yadier Molina, the 39-year-old catcher who was a team-mate for both championships and has spent his entire career in St. Louis, is delighted to be reunited with Pujols.
"I'm happy for him to be here," he said. "It's going to be a fun year. We've only got one thing in mind – winning another championship."
Will Smith has apologised to Serena and Venus Williams and their family, as well as Chris Rock, after his on-stage slap aimed at the comedian marred an Academy Award win.
The Williams sisters were at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday to see Smith win Best Actor for his portrayal of their father Richard in the biopic King Richard.
However, before Smith took to the stage to collect his award, he was involved in the major flashpoint of the night and one of the most remarkable incidents in Academy Awards history.
Smith stormed the stage when Rock, while presenting Best Documentary Feature, made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock appeared to make a comment on Pinkett Smith's hair, which prompted Smith – after originally smiling at the joke – to take to the stage and strike the comedian before telling him to "keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth".
Smith returned to his seat and was allowed to remain in attendance for the rest of the ceremony, giving a lengthy and emotional acceptance speech in which he apologised to The Academy.
Almost 24 hours past before Smith took to his Instagram page to address the issue again, explaining he took offence to a remark apparently related to his wife's alopecia but also again apologising – including to the Williams family.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he wrote. "My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
"Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
"I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologise to The Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
"I would like to apologise to the Williams family and my King Richard family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
"I am a work in progress."
In her own post on Sunday, Serena Williams had seemingly sought only to address Smith's success at the Oscars.
"This night has been surreal," she wrote. "To spend it sitting next to my sisters meant more than anything.
"I am so grateful to The Academy for making this an unforgettable night, and to Will Smith for bringing this story to the big screen and honouring my family. This will always be a night to remember."
Coming off four straight losses heading into Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knew something needed to change.
Ultimately, that change would be Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo falling out of the rotation entirely, playing zero combined minutes.
The Heat looked great with their new line-ups, which featured Max Strus slotting into a starting role, winning each of the first three quarters comfortably on the way to a 123-100 victory.
Speaking to post-game media, Spoelstra made a point of protecting his benched players' feelings, and stressed that more tinkering would be ahead.
"These are tough decisions, and there are a lot of different things that could work, but we just felt like at this particular time that these moves may clean up some things with the rotation," he said.
"Those aren't easy decisions, and I think we all just have to have empathy and grace for some of these changes for the guys that didn't necessarily play tonight.
"It's about understanding that we have a roster full of proven, capable guys, and we're going to need everybody, particularly in this final push and in the playoffs.
"A lot of it will be matchup-based… we'll just keep an open mind about what we may need to do moving forward."
Spoelstra went on to say that the difference in this game was about far more than simply benching two solid players.
"This wasn't a 'one move' thing – we were very disappointed about the past four games, and this has been trending, really, even before that, when we were winning," he said.
"It's not an indictment on anybody – sometimes these things can be chemistry things, sometimes it's just the flow of certain guys playing off of each other.
"The ball and body movement was better – less holding [the ball], we're moving the ball, guys were able to play to their strengths. It was less stagnant for sure.
"We've seen what Jimmy [Butler] can do when he has open spaces to be able to be creative, and be able to attack, and be able to make plays. I know he hit three three-pointers tonight – I love that – but he was in a lot of places where he can be successful and effective.
"There were a lot of different layers to [today's moves] – again, it's just one game. Our roster is deep, and our roster checks a lot of different boxes, which we feel you need in the playoffs.
"Each series – if we're fortunate enough to play multiple series – they have totally different needs and complexions, and we feel like versatility and our depth is really one of the greatest strengths of this team."
Miami regained the Eastern Conference one seed with the result, but it will switch hands once again if they cannot defeat the surging Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
With the league MVP seemingly down to a two-horse race between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets big man dominated yet again as his side beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-109.
Jokic, who is following up his MVP win last season with the greatest playmaking season of any centre in the 21st century, finished the contest with 26 points (nine-of-17 shooting), 19 rebounds and 11 assists.
All five Nuggets starters scored at least 14 points, with Jokic and Aaron Gordon both finishing with a plus-minus of at least plus 20, indicating that it was Denver's mediocre bench unit that struggled enough to keep things close.
Reigning Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was terrific for the Hornets, scoring 22 points (eight-of-21 shooting) with 11 assists and six rebounds.
Playing without star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics pushed fellow Eastern Conference contenders Toronto Raptors all the way before ultimately losing 115-112 in overtime.
The star of the show was Raptor Pascal Siakam, who hit two clutch free throws to send the game to overtime on his way to final tallies of 40 points (17-of-29 shooting) and 13 rebounds to go with three steals and two blocks.
Despite the loss, which sent the Celtics from the one seed toppling down to the four seed, they are now 22-4 in their past 26 games dating back to the end of January.
Miami regain top spot, Barrett beats Bulls
With Boston falling out of the Eastern Conference's top seed, the Miami Heat have reclaimed it, beating the Sacramento Kings 123-100 after a recent rough stretch.
Jimmy Butler (27 points on 10-of-14 shooting) and Bam Adebayo (22 points on 10-of-16 shooting) starred for Miami, while Sixth Man of the Year lock Tyler Herro chipped in with 20 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the flailing Chicago Bulls have now lost six of their past eight after another disappointing defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks 109-104.
R.J. Barrett continued his ascension, scoring 28 points on 10-of-24 shooting in 43 minutes.
World number two Iga Swiatek showed why she is next in line to occupy the top ranking as she comfortably handled the challenge of 14 seed Cori Gauff 6-3 6-1 to earn a spot in the quarter-finals at the Miami Open.
Swiatek, 20, will become the first Polish-born man or woman to earn the number one singles ranking when it is next updated on April 4, after Ash Barty's retirement, and she never gave Gauff a chance.
She won all eight of her service games in the match, and broke Gauff's serve four times in eight chances to rattle off five consecutive games to close the match.
After a walkover in her last fixture, Naomi Osaka was strong on her way to a 6-3 6-4 win against Alison Riske.
Both women produced break points throughout the match, but while Osaka saved seven out of eight, coming back to double-break after her slip-up in the second set, Riske could only save nine of 12.
In a clash between top-10 seeds, Danielle Collins was terrific in her 6-2 6-4 win against Ons Jabeur.
The match was decided by each woman's success on their second serve, as Jabeur had the better first serve, but could only win 31 per cent of her second serves (8-26), while Collins was an even 73 per cent on both her first and second attempts.
Daria Saville continued her march back up the rankings with a 5-7 6-4 7-5 win against Lucia Bronzetti, making it nine wins from her past 10 matches for the Australian ranked 249 in the world after recently returning from a long-term achilles injury.
Saville will play Switzerland's Belinda Bencic after she breezed past Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-3, while Petra Kvitova got the better of higher-ranked Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
American Jessica Pegula was nearly flawless on her way to a 6-0 first set before Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina retired due to injury, while world number six Paula Badosa beat wildcard Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2 6-3.
The Miami Masters' top seed, Daniil Medvedev, had no problems making his way past Spain's Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-4 to earn his spot in the fourth round.
Serving was the story of the match as the world number two tallied up 14 aces to his unseeded opponent's zero, and only allowed Martinez to see five second serves in the opening set, with Zverev winning all five. Overall, Zverev won 20 of 24 points on serve in the first set.
The second set was more competitive, with Martinez even breaking back after Zverev jumped ahead and looked to coast to victory, but he could not hold off the Russian down the stretch.
Medvedev will play American Jenson Brooksby in his fourth-round matchup after he won a hard-fought 6-3 5-7 6-4 struggle against 15 seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
In a razor-close contest, Brooksby was just slightly better throughout, winning 60 per cent of his service points compared to the Spaniard's 59 per cent, as well as winning 41 per cent of return points compared to Bautista Agut's 40 per cent.
Fresh off his Indian Wells Masters triumph over Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz kept his good form going with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 win against American compatriot Tommy Paul.
Fritz, who is now up to world number 13, did not have his serve broken all day, winning 81 per cent of his successful first serves (30-37), while also capitalising on the only two break points he saw.
14 seed Carlos Alcaraz only needed two sets to get past 21 seed Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4, creating nine break point opportunities to Cilic's one, which was saved.
In the late session, and in a meeting of rapidly rising prospects, 22-year-old Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic pulled off an upset 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over 21-year-old American Sebastian Korda.
Meanwhile, three seed Stefano Tsitsipas was too much for Australian Alex de Minaur, winning 6-4 6-3 after allowing no break point opportunities in the opening set, and saving all three in the second.
The San Francisco 49ers have no plans to release Jimmy Garoppolo despite their inability to trade him, general manager John Lynch has insisted.
No secret has been made of the Niners' plans to trade Garoppolo since their 2021 season came to an end with defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
San Francisco selected quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick in last year's draft, having traded the 12th overall pick and their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up to that spot.
Lance is set to take over as the starting quarterback in 2022, but Lynch did not rule out Garoppolo still being on the depth chart, having received no trade offers for the former New England Patriot.
"I don't foresee that," Lynch said when asked about releasing Garoppolo at the NFL owners' meetings on Monday.
"He's too good of a player. I don't foresee that, and I think Jimmy will be playing for us or he'll be playing for somebody else. He's too good of a player not to be."
Garoppolo remains on the Niners' roster as host of potential suitors have filled their quarterback need via other means. The Denver Broncos pulled off a spectacular trade for Russell Wilson, the Indianapolis Colts shipped Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders and then dealt for Matt Ryan, while the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky.
There had previously been talk of the Niners having an offer of two second-round picks in hand for Garoppolo, but Lynch dismissed such speculation.
"Not true. No," Lynch said. "Nobody ever said, 'OK, here’s our offer'. We never got to that point."
While Garoppolo's future with San Francisco remains in question, Lynch assured that All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel and Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa will be on the roster for a long time as the Niners negotiate likely lucrative contract extensions with the pair.
"We've had good communication with Tory [Dandy] who represents Deebo and Bryan Ayrault who represents Nick,” Lynch said. "We have a plan for each of those guys. We will keep those discussions private but like I've long said, those guys are going to be a part of us for a long, long time.
"They're fantastic players. They are very much at the core of who we are and they are fabulous players, fabulous people and a big part of who we are.”
The recent Jamaica Gun Club Sporting Clays tournament turned out to be a good one for the McMaster family. The tournament attracted 148 shooters from across the island to its Salt Island facility in Clarendon where the McMasters demonstrated their mastery.
In extreme heat, Ray McMaster shot a score of 92 to take the top spot by long run ahead of Chad Ziadie and Brett Thwaites, who also had scores of 92.
McMaster’s wife Wendy shot a 78 to win the Ladies' competition while their in-form daughter Aliana was second with a score of 69. Aliana’s sister Abigail finished with a score of 62 to finish in fourth place.
McMaster, who for the second time walked away with the trophy for the Highest Overall score, was thrilled at the outcome.
"Awesome, awesome, awesome! I actually didn't think the 92 would prevail," he said, revealing that he was unable to say exactly what made him victorious.
"I don't know but I just come out and do the same exact thing, come out and execute. For one, the breeze wasn't blowing too much and I think that helped with the course. Shooting is like that, you just come out and everything happens for you on the day. I must say I am happy that I prevailed but the score could have been better but I am very happy."
Wendy, meanwhile, was equally chuffed at her triumph.
"I feel really good. My confidence level is going back to where it was. I was struggling back in several shoots before and I worked on my weakness and I have discovered how to correct it so right now I am in a good place, just to work on it a little bit more so I can always be on top," she said.
The top three shooters in the various classes were as follows:
A Class: Brett Thwaites 92, Shaun Barnes 91 (LR) and Jordan Thwaites 91 (LR);
B Class: Najeeb Haber 79, Craig Davis 77 and Evan Thwaites 76;
C Class: Nathan Chin 90, Paul Burke 82 (LR) and Ricky DuQuesdnay 82 (LR);
D Class: Gordon Bucknor 87, Justin Samuda 83 and Richard Todd 80;
E Class: Noah Vaughn 81, Matthew Grant 77 (LR) and Carlton Davis 77 (LR);
Hunters or Beginners: Kashka Jones 72 (LR), Lucas Thomson 72 (LR) and Anthony Ayoub 72 (LR);
Ladies: Wendy McMaster 78, Aliana McMaster 69 and Tara Brown 67;
Juniors: Nathan Chin 90, David Wong 87 and Mark Desnoes 82;
Sub Juniors: Christopher Lee 50.
Two shooters, Noah Vaughn and Kashka Jones were promoted to D Class and E Class respectively after winning their respective classes on the day.
Erik Spoelstra returned to the Miami Heat ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Head coach Spoelstra missed Saturday's 110-95 loss to the Brooklyn Nets for personal reasons, with assistant coach Chris Quinn filling in.
However, Miami confirmed that the 60-year-old was back with the team for the meeting with the Kings at FTX Arena.
Ahead of Monday's game, the Heat (47-28) had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference but sat below the Boston Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers were half a game back in a tight top four.
Playing a role in managing LeBron James' legacy has contributed to this being the toughest season Frank Vogel has experienced as an NBA coach.
The Los Angeles Lakers have significantly underperformed in 2021-22 and sit 10th in the Western Conference – the final play-in spot – with eight regular season games to play.
Injuries have limited Anthony Davis to just 37 appearances, while LeBron James has missed 19 games and they have only played together 21 times. Russell Westbrook has also struggled to show why LA paid such a high price to acquire him from the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers were considered one of the favourites to win the championship this season but are in very real danger of missing out on the playoffs entirely.
Although Davis, who has been out with a foot injury since February 16, was a full participant in Monday's practice, James sat out due to an ankle injury sustained in Sunday's defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans – a game in which the Lakers blew a 23-point lead.
Vogel felt the injury situation was typical of the team's season and cited having a part to play in ensuring James enjoys a strong finish to his career as a factor in making it so tough for him to navigate.
Asked if it had been his hardest year as a coach, Vogel replied: "I would say probably, just because of the expectations we've had.
"We've had too many really difficult nights and I think there's an element of being a part of managing LeBron's legacy in these final years of his career.
"You wanna just give him the best opportunity to have team success throughout that, so when we haven't won at the level that we wanted to it's been challenging. And the losses have been heavier. But we've been able to continue to mend and rebuild our team psyche and keep a belief in what we can be. Obviously this last injury [to James] hurts that.
"But we had a good day today. We came in and we got really positive feedback and work on our film session, had a live practice session which we haven't had in quite some time, and hopefully we can still get a W tomorrow [Tuesday, against the Dallas Mavericks] and finish strong."
Anthony Davis completed his first full practice since sustaining a foot injury last month and is listed as doubtful for Tuesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers star Davis went down with three minutes remaining in the second quarter of the 106-101 victory over the Utah Jazz on February 16 and has not played since.
Los Angeles have gone 4-12 in their 16 games since then but head coach Frank Vogel revealed Davis is nearing a return to the floor – though he expects it to take him some time to get back up to speed.
"Positive sign. He went through full practice. Did all of our drill work and some live scrimmaging," said Vogel.
"We're at a point now where it's really about how he responds to that and the level of soreness he has coming out of his first live work. He'll also be listed as doubtful for tomorrow.
"He's got to get his legs under him – that's the biggest thing. When you have a foot injury like this it's not as easy to do all your running and stay in shape like if you had a wrist injury or something like that, so that's definitely going to take time.
"And because of that you have to be more cautious with the return to play. Because if you throw him out there and he doesn't have his wind, then the injury becomes compromised or you overcompensate in some way and you don't want that.
"So there's definitely going to be a stretch here when we get him back where he's still getting his legs under him."
LeBron James, who was absent for two of the games Davis missed, is also doubtful to face the Mavericks due to a left ankle injury sustained in the 116-108 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, which saw the Lakers blow a 23-point lead.
"He definitely has some swelling from the ankle sprain and we'll list him as doubtful tomorrow. He stayed back from practice today to get some treatment on it," said Vogel.
Davis and James have only played together 21 times this season and Vogel said it was typical of the campaign that the wait to pair them may be prolonged by the latter's injury.
"It's been that type of year. Definitely snakebitten with trying to get those guys on the floor together. I think it's 17 or 18 games for the season [that James has missed] and it looks like it could be more than that now," said Vogel.
"It's out of our control. It's unfortunate, but we have to lock in and again, like we've done all season, shift our identity on the floor with regard to who's in and who's out."
The Lakers are 31-43 on the season and occupy the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with eight regular-season games remaining.
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