The Arizona Cardinals have removed a controversial "independent study" clause from Kyler Murray's new contract after the quarterback gave an impassioned response to questions about his preparation and work ethic.

NFL.com reported the addendum to the five-year, $230.5million extension earlier this week.

The clause stipulated that the two-time Pro Bowler must watch a minimum of four hours of game film on his own every week during the season over the life of the deal, and the Cardinals could void the contract if Murray did not meet the terms of the agreement.

"After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract," the Cardinals have now said in a statement. "It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended.

"Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it's ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

The public revelation of the clause prompted the usually reserved Murray to call an unscheduled press conference on Thursday in which the 2019 number one overall pick lashed out against suggestions he was not properly preparing for his duties.

"I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparation be in question," Murray stated. "I've put in incomprehensible amount of time and blood, sweat and tears and work into what I do.

"To those of you out there who believe that I'd be standing here today in front of you all without having a work ethic and without preparing – I'm honoured that you think that, but it doesn't exist. It's not possible.

"To think that I can accomplish everything that I've accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion, not take this seriously is almost... it's disrespectful and it's almost a joke."

Murray agreed to the extension, which will make him the NFL's second-highest-paid player in terms of average annual salary behind only two-time reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers, last week. The contract contains $160m in guarantees and will run from 2024 through 2028. 

The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner is coming off his best season in which he finished second in the NFL in completion percentage (69.2) and posted a career-high 100.6 passer rating while helping the Cardinals reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Murray's play dropped off during the second half of the year, however, and he also struggled with a no-touchdown, two-interception performance in the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Arizona began last season 7-0 but lost five of the 24-year-old's next seven starts, with Murray producing an 86.5 passer rating during that stretch after recording a 116.8 rating over the first seven games.

Dak Prescott has just one playoff victory in his first six NFL seasons, but he has every intention of making this a memorable year for himself and the Dallas Cowboys. 

"It will be the golden birthday," said Prescott, who turns 29 on Friday. "I plan for this to be the golden year."

Both Prescott and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy received plenty of criticism after a disappointing 23-17 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers last season. That game ended when Prescott ran downfield with six seconds left on the clock and was unable to spike the ball for one last play.  

That defeat left Prescott with a 1-3 career postseason record and kept Dallas without a Super Bowl title since 1995. 

Prescott has been unable to do what Hall-of-Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman did – lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title.  

"I mean obviously knowing the quarterbacks that played specifically for this team, and knowing their legacy, and the ones that we hold at the highest standard are the ones that have Super Bowl rings." Prescott said.

"It starts there for me, trying to fill the shoes of those guys that have come before me and do something for this organisation that hasn’t been done in a long time."

While playoff success has eluded Prescott, he did throw a franchise-record 37 touchdown passes last season and threw for 4,449 yards – the fourth-highest single-season total of any Cowboys quarterback. 

"When you don’t win games, it goes on our shoulders sometimes and that’s okay,' Prescott said. "I’m a guy that will take it whenever.

"Take the good with the bad and just continue to help my team, help all 53 who will participate in the game, but as coach says, it takes more than that.

"It takes the whole unit, the whole organisation. I don’t really worry about where the criticism or blame or any of that goes."

The Cowboys open their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 11. 

The Seattle Seahawks have locked up standout wide receiver DK Metcalf with a three-year, $72million contract extension. 

Metcalf’s deal includes a $30m signing bonus – the highest ever for a wide receiver – with $58.2m guaranteed. His yearly salary of $24m ties him with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs for the sixth-highest total among receivers.  

Metcalf has 216 receptions for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns in 49 career games since Seattle selected him with the 64th overall pick in 2019 out of Mississippi. He had 75 catches for 967 yards with a career-high 12 TDs last season. 

The new deal keeps Metcalf with the Seahawks through the 2025 season, with his rookie contract set to expire after this season. He doesn’t turn 25 until December and will be 28 years old when his new deal ends.  

He sat out practice at training camp this week after he missed all three days of mandatory veteran mini-camp in June with an unexcused absence.  

Metcalf and the other Seattle receivers will have a new starting quarterback this season after Russell Wilson was traded to Denver in March. Geno Smith and Drew Lock currently are competing for the starting job.  

Tom Brady's position at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is an advantage for recruitment, so says general manager Jason Licht.

The veteran quarterback will go around once more this term with the Bucs, after initially announcing his retirement before reversing his decision 40 days later.

And Brady is now helping Licht shape the roster for the upcoming 2022 NFL season, as new head coach Todd Bowles looks to take them to a second Super Bowl in three years following last season's divisional playoff exit.

Speaking ahead of the Bucs' preseason bow against the Miami Dolphins, Licht explained how having Brady on board makes their recruitment business easier, pointing to their acquisition of wide receiver Julio Jones as an example of their similar mindsets.

"I think any GM with an established veteran quarterback has an advantage, but when you have Tom Brady as the greatest, it's even more of an advantage," Licht said in a news conference.

"The entire locker room has the utmost respect for him. If I'm thinking about a player or we are as a staff, I'll give him a call and see if he can help us out and he's always willing to do it.

"We’re usually on the same page with that. We didn't have to kick too many weeds to find out about Julio Jones. We've known about him a while, and Kyle Rudolph was the best tight end that was available.

"But, we're usually on the same page. We have a lot of communication, so does Todd [Bowles] and Tom [Brady] and myself. We talk a lot about players."

Jones is one of the Bucs' key offseason recruits, with the 33-year-old signing on Wednesday after his release from the Tennessee Titans earlier this year, and Brady helped swing the deal.

"It's a scenario we had talked about for a while," Licht added. "I talked periodically to his agent and I know that Tom and Julio had talked.

"It just kind of came to fruition here these last couple of days. We're really excited to have him [and] I know he's super excited to be here. What a mature guy, tough guy, competitive guy, he's just excited to have the chance to win a championship."

Bowles is starting to put the pieces together as he prepares for his first season at the helm following Bruce Arians' departure, though the latter's presence as a consultant has remained invaluable to the team.

"It's great to have him," Licht said of Arians. "He and I obviously have a great relationship. I lean on him for a lot of things. I know Todd does as well and all of our coaches. He's just great to have around."

With his work ethic and preparation methods recently called into question, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray called an impromptu press conference on Thursday to answer his critics. 

The former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl honoree bristled at the suggestion he could achieve what he has in both his college and professional career without taking his job seriously.

Murray delivered a sharp response to the recent criticism he has received after a report this week stated his new $230million contract contained a clause that mandated four hours of independent film study per week during the season.  

"To think that I can accomplish everything that I've accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion, not take this seriously, is almost – it's disrespectful and it's almost a joke," Murray said.

"I'm honestly flattered that you all think at my size I can go out there and not prepare for the game," the 5-foot-10, 207-pound quarterback said. "This game's too hard. To play the position that I play in this league, it's too hard. 

"I'm not 6-7, 230 [pounds]. I don't throw the ball 85 yards. I'm already behind the eight-ball and I can't afford to take any shortcuts, no pun intended."

According to NFL.com, Murray can be found to be in breach of his new deal should he not fulfil the obligations of the "independent study" addendum.

The 2019 No. 1 overall pick last week agreed to the five-year extension, which will make him the NFL's second-highest paid player in terms of average annual salary.

Murray did not directly answer questions about specific parts of the contract, though he did make a statement about his film study habits. 

"There's multiple ways to watch film," he said. "There's many different ways to process that game; there's many different ways quarterbacks learn the game and break the game down.

"Of course, I watch film by myself. That's a given. That doesn't even need to be said. But I do enjoy and love the process of watching the game with my guys, the quarterbacks, the coaches.  

"I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparation, be in question. I've put in incomprehensible amount of time and blood, sweat and tears and work into what I do.

"To those of you out there who believe that I'd be standing here today in front of you all without having a work ethic and without preparing, I'm honoured that you think that, but it doesn't exist. It's not possible.” 

Murray, a former standout baseball player at Oklahoma as well who was taken ninth overall in the 2018 MLB draft, led the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance in six years with an 11-6 finish to the 2021 season. 

The 24-year-old began last season as an MVP candidate as Arizona got off to a 7-0 start, with Murray producing a 116.8 passer rating with a 73.5 per cent completion rate and 17 touchdown passes during that stretch. 

However, his play dropped off over the season's second half. Murray's passer rating dipped to 86.5 as Arizona went 2-5 over his next seven starts, and he struggled with a no-touchdown, two-interception performance in the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledged that he should have done a better job of articulating his comments after offending his old team-mate Cam Heyward.

Last week in an article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger said one of the reasons the Steelers faltered in the playoffs in the last few seasons was because young players today are more focused on personal goals rather than team goals.

"I feel like the game has changed," he said. "I feel like the people have changed in a sense. Maybe it's because I got spoiled when I came in. The team was so important. It was all about the team.

"Now, it's about me and this, that and the other. I might be standing on a soapbox a little bit, but that's my biggest takeaway from when I started to the end. It turned from a team-first to a me-type attitude. It was hard."

Those comments did not sit well with Heyward, a team-mate of Roethlisberger from 2011 until the future Hall of Fame quarterback retired following the 2021 season.

"We have a lot of young players that come from different backgrounds, have experienced different things from what others or I may have experienced," Heyward said on his own Not Just Football podcast on Wednesday. "That doesn't make them selfish or more of a me-type attitude. There are a lot more team-first guys than me-type attitude. I took offense to that."

On Thursday, Roethlisberger walked back on his comments.

"I probably should've been more detailed, more specific," Roethlisberger told 102.5 DVE in Pittsburgh. "It's not the majority of guys are that way."

The 40-year-old Roethlisberger played for the Steelers for his entire 18-year career in the NFL, leading the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships, eight AFC North Division titles and 12 playoff berths.

However, much of that success came in the first half of Roethlisberger's career, as Pittsburgh have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, losing its last three postseason appearances.

"I get Cam supporting his team-mates," Roethlisberger said. "I wasn't trying to bash anyone specifically, I was just making a broad stroke comment. I agree with him and I should've been more clear. The majority of guys on that team are team-first guys."

The Steelers opened camp on Wednesday ushering in a new era with Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett competing to replace the retired Roethlisberger.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen will undergo an MRI after injuring his left knee during practice.

In a concerning development for an offensive line that already has some question marks along the interior, Jensen was injured during a team drill during Tampa Bay's second day of training camp.

The normally durable eight-year veteran was carted off while unable to bear weight on his lower left leg and was replaced by second-year player Robert Hainsey.

"We'll wait to find out what it is and we're hoping for the best," Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters while adding that testing results may not be known for a few days.

Jensen has not missed a game since signing with Tampa Bay in 2018 following a four-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens and was named to his first career Pro Bowl last season.

The 31-year-old re-signed with the Bucs in March on a three-year, $39million contract that includes $23m in guarantees.

Licht acknowledged that Jensen's injury had dented the positive tone at a camp that began with great optimism. That positive mood had been further enhanced by this week's signing of seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones as well as tight end Kyle Rudolph.

"That usually happens when you have a player like Ryan who is obviously a very good player, but also just a great person and a leader, and his toughness, things like that, about him that define him," Licht stated.

"When a player like that gets hurt and he's played through several injuries in his career, without missing any time, it deflates everybody."

The Buccaneers are already breaking in new starters at both guard spots following the offseason retirement of Ali Marpet and the departure of Alex Cappa, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent.

Licht was able to fill Cappa's right guard spot by acquiring Shaq Mason in a trade with the New England Patriots. Hainsey, a third-round pick in 2021, was competing with veteran Aaron Stinnie and rookie second-round pick Luke Goedeke for the starting job at left guard.

Pete Carroll says the Seattle Seahawks can be successful without Russell Wilson and revealed Geno Smith is winning the battle to be starting quarterback.

Wilson's departure to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2022 season is a massive blow for the Seahawks, having led the team to a first Super Bowl triumph in 2013 and a return to the Super Bowl the following year.

Carroll will have to do it without Wilson in 2022, a big year for the team after the 2021 season saw the Seahawks miss out on a playoff spot for only the second time in 10 seasons.

With Seattle not making a move to land a high-profile replacement, having been linked to Baker Mayfield prior to his move to the Carolina Panthers, questions have been asked about how Carroll will fill the void.

The experienced coach is not concerned, though, referencing his years coaching in college football where he had to adjust his side every year following graduations.

"You went to the next guy. You always miss when the guys leave but you can see it (coming) so you start planning for it, you work and you can find success," he told a news conference.

"I'm taking it in stride, but I'm real determined to make it work.

"There's a lot of developing of the players and giving them the background they need and the substance they need to be able to play like they're capable."

The Seahawks have Smith and Drew Lock competing to be the first choice under center and although Carroll says the former is leading the way, he made it clear there is time for that to change.

"Geno is in the lead. He's ahead and he ain't looking back. He's going for it," he added.

"Drew is not going to take a back seat. Something is going to happen. You will not nail me on that [naming his starter]."

Aaron Rodgers has backed Allen Lazard to be the number one wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers in the forthcoming NFL season and fill the void left by Davante Adams' departure.

For the first time in his 18-year career, Rodgers heads into the season without a recognised starring man to target following Adams' move to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Lazard is the favourite to step up in the 2022 season, having hauled in 21 receptions for 290 yards and scored five touchdowns in the five matches at the end of the regular 2021 season.

Quarterback Rodgers thinks the 26-year-old can make a big impact.

"When you walk in the locker room for so many years and you see 87's locker, that's Jordy Nelson. You see Davante Adams. It gives you a different feel. You just kind of know that you got that guy," he said during a news conference.

"We have some opportunities for some guys to step into that role.

"I think Allen is ready to make a jump and be a number one wide receiver. [I'm] excited about the opportunity to work with him.

"He's capable of a lot.  Since his first day, he's turned heads. He's been working hard. He has a lot to prove to himself I like a hungry Allen Lazard."

The Packers' offense has undergone a major reshuffle ahead of the new season, losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and bringing in Sammy Watkins, as well as drafting three wide receivers.

Rodgers is pleased with the options he has to throw to as the Packers look to make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

"Allen sets the standard. Randall [Cobb] sets the standard. The young guys have to pay attention," he added.

"There is a lot of talent in that room for sure, and a lot of motivation for some of the comments that's been sent that room's way. I like what we did on day one."

The Packers face the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs in pre-season, before kicking off the new campaign at the Minnesota Vikings on September 11.

Green Bay Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari barely played last season, and there’s no telling when he’ll be healthy enough to take the field this coming season after he had another procedure on his left knee.

The latest procedure would be at least the third known surgery since Bakhtiari suffered a torn left ACL on New Year’s Eve 2020.

Bakhtiari has played just one game since the original injury, and that came in the regular-season finale at Detroit on January 9 before he was shut down for the playoffs. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday as the Packers opened training camp.

Bakhtiari attended the Packers’ offseason program but did not practice, and instead worked off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing injuries.

''It's a nightmare, my nightmare that I have to live,'' Bakhtiari said. ''I don't know how many days it's been, but I'm just excited to wake up (from the nightmare) one day.''

The Packers remain hopeful that Bakhtiari will be ready for the season opener at Minnesota on September 11.

''I think we're cautiously optimistic,'' general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

Clearly, the Packers are going to take a cautious approach with Bakhtiari, who was playing well enough to earn first-team All-Pro honours for a second time when he originally hurt the knee. His first surgery came after the 2020 season, before the second procedure to reduce swelling in the knee during the 2021 regular season.

''Everyone loves timelines,'' Bakhtiari said. ''When I'm ready, I'll be out there. What I can say is I do feel really good. I really like –  I feel normal.

"My knee feels normal and that's the biggest plus. Now it's just getting that normal feeling again when I play football, so that's what it is, the load, stress, strength, but we're not really in an ACL issue. That's actually been a long time ago that we put that chapter to bed.''

With Bakhtiari unavailable for either of Green Bay's past two playoff losses, the Packers allowed five sacks in each of those games.

Green Bay faces the possibility of opening this season without its two best offensive linemen. Elgton Jenkins is also attempting to come back from an ACL tear he suffered on November 21 against Minnesota.

The San Francisco 49ers released defensive end Dee Ford on Wednesday, ending the former Pro Bowler's three-year tenure with the team that was often marred by injuries.

Signed to a five-year, $85.5million contract by San Francisco in 2019, Ford appeared in just seven games over the last two seasons and 18 total regular-season contests in that three-year period.

The 49ers acquired Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2019 in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick. The 31-year-old recorded 13 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in his final season in Kansas City, then had 6.5 sacks in 11 games with San Francisco in 2019.

However, Ford missed all but one game in 2020 due to a chronic back injury that limited him to six games this past season.

The move will save the 49ers around $1.1 million in 2022 but will leave the team with over $11.6 million in dead cap space over the next two seasons.

A first-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014, Ford twice posted double-digit sack totals during his five-year run in Kansas City and has 40 sacks in 85 games over eight NFL seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce have agreed to a contract restructure that will give the star tight end an additional $3 million in salary this season, according to NFL.com.

Kelce was slated to earn about $7.5 million in 2022, the first season of a four-year, $57 million extension he signed in August 2020 that contains $20.75 million in guarantees. Moving some of that money towards the front of the deal gives the Chiefs a little more salary cap flexibility in future years.

The 32-year-old Kelce was named to a seventh straight Pro Bowl in 2021 after recording 92 catches for 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 games.

Kelce’s six consecutive seasons with at least 80 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards is the longest streak by a tight end in NFL history and the longest active run of any player.

Only five players have produced those numbers in seven or more straight seasons. Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt each did so in eight consecutive seasons, while Tim Brown and Brandon Marshall had seven-year streaks.

Kelce has also been remarkably durable throughout his nine-year NFL career, having missed just three games over the past eight seasons.

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has put his expectations for 2022 firmly on the agenda, saying they need a viable playoff run for a successful season.

The Cowboys had a hugely disappointing first-round home playoff loss last season, going down 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers after earning the third seed in the NFC.

Long-time Cowboys owner Jones, who turns 80 in October, said they were in better shape for a Super Bowl push this season compared to last, fuelling the expectations on Mike McCarthy's side.

"Well, I need to win it. I need to win it, but I'll be candid with you, there's degrees," Jones told reporters on Tuesday on the first day of the Cowboys' training camp.

"I want to be fair to everybody concerned. We need to be in the playoffs. We need to be viable in the playoffs for it to be a successful season."

He added with a touch of humour: "I told them I've got a birthday coming up here real quick and I don't have time to have a bad time. It ain't on my schedule."

Amari Cooper, La'el Collins and Randy Gregory have all departed the Cowboys in the off-season.

"(Last year) we had it teed up pretty good, and in my mind we made a hell of a run at it," Jones said.

"I think we're in better shape today to make a run at it than when we were sitting here this time last year.

"I thought last year we had a chance to make a heck of a run at it and had people in place that if we were healthy enough, we might get 'em. And I think we're in better shape."

Jones also threw his support behind McCarthy, who has been Dallas' head coach since 2020, finishing his first season with a 6-10 record and missing the playoffs.

"I want to be real clear: He wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't think he was the man to lead this team to a Super Bowl," Jones said.

Jones added: "I like this staff. And frankly, I like the makeup of the players one year later that were on this team last year and I like the new players that we've brought on."

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it abundantly clear that Trey Lance is their man and they are moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game, losing 20-17 to eventual Super Bowl LVI champions Los Angeles Rams.

The 30-year-old quarterback is widely expected to depart the 49ers in the off-season, with Shanahan effectively confirming the assumption that 2021 NFL Draft's third pick in Lance will take over.

"We have moved on to Trey," Shanahan told reporters ahead of the 49ers training camp. "This is Trey's team.

"That's nothing against Jimmy. We made that decision a year ago and we're going with that. We're not going to mess around with that anymore.

"Jimmy understands that fully. That's a business decision and that's what makes it not awkward. Jimmy knows we're going with Trey.

"Trey knows we're going with Trey and our team does, and everyone likes both of those guys."

Shanahan along with 49ers general manager John Lynch sat down for a meeting with Garoppolo on Tuesday morning to discuss his future.

Garoppolo has only just been cleared to practice having resumed throwing after his shoulder surgery, meaning opposition teams were reluctant to make trade plans for him until now.

"As soon as we can," Shanahan said about a Garoppolo move.

"Hopefully with everyone being on the same page, hopefully that will happen sooner than later. I think that would be good for him and for us."

Garoppolo threw 20 touchdowns - with his 1.33 per game was ranked 19th in the NFL among quarterbacks - with a 68.3 per cent completion rate for 3,810 yards across the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, Lynch was positive about the future of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had requested a trade in April.

"We've had really productive and substantive talks," Lynch said.

"I don't want to get everyone all excited that something is imminent because we're not there yet, but really hopeful that in the near future we'll be able to announce something that is exciting for everyone involved.

"Deebo is here today and we're excited about moving forward with him as part of this team."

Five-time All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones will catch passes from Tom Brady in 2022 after signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.

The move gives Brady, who led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns last season, another potentially dangerous target and may offset the loss of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired earlier this offseason.

A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Jones will join a deep wide receiver room that already has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage.

Signing Jones is the latest in a string of win-now moves by the Buccaneers as they try to extend their window of championship contention with Brady, who turns 45 years old next month.

Jones, 33, has been limited by injuries over the last two seasons, having ended a 10-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons to join the Tennessee Titans last season.

In 10 games with the Titans, Jones caught a career-low 31 passes for 434 yards and was cut earlier this offseason.

Jones had been connected to the Indianapolis Colts, a move that would have reunited him with longtime quarterback Matt Ryan, but Colts general manager Chris Ballard dispelled those rumours earlier on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Jones is the NFL's active leader with 13,330 career receiving yards, making 879 catches and scoring 61 touchdowns in 145 games.

Among players who have played at least 100 games, Jones' 91.9 receiving yards per game are the most in NFL history.