Former New England Patriots linebacker D'Onta Hightower has retired from the NFL.

A first-round pick in the 2012 draft out of Alabama, Hightower spent his entire career with the Patriots, playing a pivotal role in three Super Bowl championships.

After helping the Patriots defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at the end of the 2014 season, bringing down Marshawn Lynch short of the endzone on the play prior to Malcolm Butler's game-winning interception, Hightower made a key contribution in their remarkable comeback against the Atlanta Falcons two years later.

His strip sack of Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter gave the Patriots the ball deep in Falcons' territory, allowing New England to cut it to a one-score game as they incredibly fought back from 28-3 down to prevail in Super Bowl LI.

Hightower also capped the 2018 season with a title, the Patriots' defense holding the Los Angeles Rams to a field goal in a 13-3 success in Super Bowl LIII having lost a thriller to the Philadelphia Eagles a year earlier.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Hightower did not play in the 2022 season after his contract expired.

Hightower wrote in an article for the Players' Tribune: "Today, I am officially retiring from the NFL. I know these announcements always feel bittersweet, but I can't think of a better story than the one I wrote in New England. A decade, three Super Bowls, two Pro Bowls, and the birth of my son — all playing for one franchise. How many guys have a story like that?

"So this is a happy day for me, and I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate you embracing a Southern kid from Lewisburg, Tennessee.

"I appreciate everyone who helped me make this dream come true. But I especially want to thank my mom. None of this happens without her. Now that I got my own 40-pound two-year-old running around the house like a little wrecking ball, I don’t know how you held it down for us all by yourself.

"I just want to say thank you for helping me live my dream.

"To you, to my beautiful wife, Morgan, to all my coaches, my team-mates, my mentors, my teachers, my friends, my entire family, and to all the fans at Bama and New England....

"Thank you. Just, thank you. I wouldn’t rewrite a single chapter of this story."

The Carolina Panthers are taking their time to evaluate their options after trading up for the NFL Draft's number one pick but new head coach Frank Reich says height will not play a major role.

Reich was officially unveiled by the Panthers on Monday having been appointed in late January, after Matt Ruhle was fired five games into the 2022 season which ended with a 7-10 campaign.

The Panthers since traded up for the number one pick, giving up several picks including their first and second-rounders in this year's draft along with wide receiver D.J. Moore as they look to access the best available quarterback to help resolve their offensive issues.

Alabama's Bryce Young is viewed as the best quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, along with Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis.

But Young's height, at 5-foot-10, is seen as his biggest drawback and Reich has a history with taller quarterbacks.

"Don't read anything into it,'' Reich told reporters. "I'm just saying that because all these people are putting this label on me that I only look at big quarterbacks.

"We're, first and foremost, just looking for playmakers. You look at everything. Every trait that a guy has, and you weigh it. Right? You weigh it.

"The thing is – if there’s 10 categories that you look at in a quarterback, or any player for that matter, the real question is not how to evaluate each of those categories. A big part of the question is how much are you going to weigh each of those categories.

"So, everything’s a factor. But, ultimately, it really comes down to being a playmaker. Being a guy who can make plays all over the field and that happens a lot of different ways."

When asked about which categories he viewed most importantly, Reich laughed: "That'd be like giving the proprietary formula for Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Reich added that the evaluation process was ongoing, with the Panthers having nothing to hide given their position in the draft, scheduled for April 27.

"When you have the number one pick you don't have to play games, right?" Reich said. "It's not like we're trying to fool anybody. What we're trying to do is take all the time we can on the evaluation.

"There's a lot of conviction, as [general manager] Scott [Fitterer] said, on some of these top quarterbacks. The old adage, 'don't make a decision before you have to' – we're going to take every second every day, or every hour every day, to make this decision. And we've still got plenty of time left."

Reich hailed Fitterer for trading up to get the top pick, stating their previous first pick at nine was a "hard spot" given their resolution to solve their QB issues of the past few years.

"Is there more pressure with that? I guess so," Reich said. "But I don't feel it like that. I feel more freedom. We can actually get the guy that we want. We can take the time. We're in the driver's seat."

The Houston Texans are still over a month away from picking their quarterback of the future, but they are continuing to build around him.

On Monday, the Texans added a starting tight end to their roster, signing Dalton Schultz to a one-year deal worth up to $9million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Schultz did not have the market he might have anticipated after his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired, but he will have the chance to cash in next offseason if he can thrive in Houston playing with the quarterback whom the Texans will almost certainly select with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Last season, Schultz finished with 577 receiving yards and five touchdowns, having racked up 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.

His 13 receiving touchdowns over the last two seasons rank fifth among tight ends.

Houston also added to their backfield, signing former Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary.

Singletary is unlikely to be the starter following the emergence of Dameon Pierce, who had 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground as a rookie.

Also arriving on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports, Singletary gives the Texans versatile depth at running back.

He has produced over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, he finished with 819 yards rushing and five touchdowns, as well as 280 yards receiving and a further touchdown through the air.

Singletary has 2,197 scrimmage yards since 2021, putting him 20th among running backs across that span.

Roger Goodell is expected to agree a contract extension at the upcoming NFL owners meetings.

The NFL commissioner is set for a "multi-year" new deal, according to ESPN.

Goodell, who has been in his post since 2006, has previously signed extensions in 2009, 2012 and 2017.

The 64-year-old's most recent deal was said to be worth $200million over five years.

ESPN's report said no length of time had yet been agreed for Goodell's upcoming deal, although "the sides have discussed a three-year extension".

Reported by Adam Schefter, it added: "The coming years also are expected to bring an increasing emphasis on identifying potential candidates to be Goodell's successor."

The two commissioners before Goodell, Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, retired at 63 and 65 respectively.

The Carolina Panthers have signed Adam Thielen to a three-year deal as they look to prepare a strong offense for their expected number one pick quarterback.

Thielen spent 10 years with his hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings, before being released in early March.

The 32-year-old was voted to two Pro Bowls in his time with Minnesota and was an All-Pro Second Team selection in 2017.

Starting all 17 games last season, Thielen finished with 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns, though he was not used as often towards the end of the campaign, making just seven catches in the Vikings' final four games.

He had previously expressed a desire to play his entire career with the Vikings, but their offense has shifted towards younger players like T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn to support All-Pro Justin Jefferson.

Overall, Thielen recorded 534 catches for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns in 135 appearances for Minnesota.

The Panthers will get the number one pick in the NFL Draft after trading wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears, with Thielen providing plenty of experience in his place, which should aid whichever young starting quarterback they presumably acquire in late April.

It continues a busy time for Carolina, who have also recently added running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and backup quarterback Andy Dalton.

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is leaving the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles to sign a one-year, $8million contract with the Detroit Lions.

Gardner-Johnson tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions in his lone season with the Eagles, despite missing five games with a lacerated kidney. He returned for the regular-season finale and started each of Philadelphia’s three postseason games to help the franchise to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2017.

The Eagles acquired Gardner-Johnson from New Orleans shortly before the start of the 2022 campaign. The Florida product added 67 tackles, one sack and eight passes defended in 12 regular season games.

A fourth-round pick of the Saints in 2019, Gardner-Johnson made 31 starts in three seasons with New Orleans. He led the Saints with 13 passes defended in 2020 and tied for the team lead with three interceptions in 2021.

Gardner-Johnson is the Lions' second major addition to the secondary this offseason as they attempt to improve the NFL's 32nd-ranked defense in total yards allowed in 2022. Detroit agreed to a three-year, $33m contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton last week.

The Eagles, meanwhile, have now lost five defensive starters from their 2022 unit in free agency. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave signed a four-year, $84m contract with the San Francisco 49ers, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White joined the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals, respectively, and safety Marcus Epps agreed to a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil is once again the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL after signing a three-year extension worth up to $75million.

Tunsil, previously became the highest-paid at his position back in 2020 when he signed a three-year, $66m deal after arriving in a blockbuster trade from the Miami Dolphins.

His new deal, which he again negotiated himself without an agent, includes a $30m signing bonus and $60m in total guarantees, per ESPN's report.

The 28-year-old is coming off his third Pro Bowl selection, and finished third in All-Pro voting among left tackles.

Tunsil's extension is a reward for yet another stellar season where he ranked among the best in the NFL, anchoring an offensive line that allowed 38 sacks, the 14th-fewest in the league. 

His pass block win rate (91.9 per cent) was 17th among offensive tackles, as he allowed only one sack (tied for second-fewest) and 17 pressures (sixth-fewest).

The Texans are expected to select their quarterback of the future in the upcoming NFL draft and have now locked up a premier blindside protector to make his life easier.

Odell Beckham Jr. has denied reports he wants a $20million-per-year deal, but also indicated he has received an offer of just $4m.

Twelve teams attended when Beckham held a private workout last week in Arizona, but he remains unsigned after the initial flurry of free agency activity.

Beckham has been available since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the team's Super Bowl triumph at the end of the 2021 season.

After sitting out last season as he recovered, several reports had suggested the 30-year-old was looking for a deal of $20m annually, but Beckham took to Twitter to suggest that was inaccurate.

The former New York Giants and Cleveland Browns wide receiver wrote: "I'm just so confused where the quote is from me that said I want 20... all I'm sayin [sic] is four AIN'T enough".

Beckham has reportedly attracted interest from the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.

There were suggestions he is one of the players Aaron Rodgers asked the Jets to acquire if the Green Bay Packers quarterback moves to New York. Though Rodgers denied making such a wish list, he added that any QB would want to play with Beckham.

Beckham has 56 receiving touchdowns in 96 career NFL appearances and was rated as the top wideout available on the open market when the offseason began.

Odell Beckham Jr. has denied reports he wants a $20million-per-year deal, but also indicated he has received an offer of just $4m.

Twelve teams attended when Beckham held a private workout last week in Arizona, but he remains unsigned after the initial flurry of free agency activity.

Beckham has been available since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the team's Super Bowl triumph at the end of the 2021 season.

After sitting out last season as he recovered, several reports had suggested the 30-year-old was looking for a deal of $20m annually, but Beckham took to Twitter to suggest that was inaccurate.

The former New York Giants and Cleveland Browns wide receiver wrote: "I'm just so confused where the quote is from me that said I want 20... all I'm sayin [sic] is four AIN'T enough".

Beckham has reportedly attracted interest from the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.

There were suggestions he is one of the players Aaron Rodgers asked the Jets to acquire if the Green Bay Packers quarterback moves to New York. Though Rodgers denied making such a wish list, he added that any QB would want to play with Beckham.

Beckham has 56 receiving touchdowns in 96 career NFL appearances and was rated as the top wideout available on the open market.

It did not come as a surprise that Jimmy Garoppolo left the San Francisco 49ers, and maybe it should not surprise anyone that he ended up with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Garoppolo was introduced by the Raiders on Friday after a one-day delay due to some contract details.

In Las Vegas, he reunites with Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator for the first three seasons of his career.

"Oh yeah," Garoppolo said Friday when asked if the Raiders were on his radar as he approached free agency after five seasons with the 49ers. "Right off the bat actually, one of my agents gave me the first list of teams, Raiders were right up there. I have the familiarity with Josh, Dave [Ziegler]. All that played a role."

The Raiders gave Garoppolo a three-year, $67.5million contract, including $34m in guaranteed money.

"I'm coming in with the mindset that I need to earn everything – I don't want to be given any 'You're the franchise guy' or whatever," he said. "I want to come in and earn it.

"I think it will come through hard work, working with teammates, being in the facility. All those little things will play a role. But yeah, I don't want to be given anything; I want to earn it.

"Just because I’m the quarterback, I'm not the leader because of that. I want to be the leader because guys respect me and believe in me… I think it will happen naturally. I don't want to force anything, be inauthentic. I just want to be myself and it's done me well in the past."

Garoppolo joins a Raiders team coming off a 6-11 season, but with an offense that includes wide receivers Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow as well as running back Josh Jacobs.

"Whenever you've got skill position guys like that, the run after catch, I'm a big believer," Garoppolo said. "I think if you give them an accurate ball, if you've got the right guys that can make a play – and we seem to have the right guys here."

While Garoppolo is familiar with McDaniels and his offense, it’s been a while since he worked with him. He acknowledged he will have to relearn the language of the offense.

"Basically like going Spanish to French," he said. "It won’t take long but Josh's offense, obviously, has evolved over the years and you've just got to pick it up as quickly as possible. But we'll be fine."

He made the point of saying he wants to take the Raiders to the Super Bowl championship.

"I know every player says that when they come up to their first press conference, but that’s my goal," Garoppolo said. "I want to go get a ring, get the silver and black back to where it should be. I know it's not an easy process. I went through it in San Francisco, lower end of the field when I first got there."

The Seattle Seahawks have added to their talented young secondary with the signing of former New York Giants safety Julian Love.

Love has signed a two-year, $12million deal with Seattle, according to multiple reports, after helping the Giants to the Divisional round of the playoffs last season.

A fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2019, Love enjoyed his best season in 2022, emerging as a valuable and versatile defender.

He intercepted two passes, recorded five pass breakups, six tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

His 109 tackles were a career-high by a wide margin, Love's previous best tally having come in 2020 (61).

Used primarily as a deep safety but also deployed in the box and in the slot, Love allowed receivers to get open on 60 per cent of his targets in 2022, the eighth-best ratio among safeties with at least 200 coverage snaps, per Stats Perform data.

He will join a secondary that features one of the NFL's premier safeties in Quandre Diggs and cornerback Tariq Woolen, who recorded a league-leading six interceptions as a rookie last year.

The Seahawks will be hoping Coby Bryant can make further strides after an encouraging rookie year at nickel corner, while Jamal Adams will look to bounce back after tearing his quad in the 2022 season opener. 

With Love's arrival, the Seahawks can claim to have one of the deeper and most talented secondaries in the NFL, which will likely be key as Seattle aim to build on a 9-8 season that ended in a Wild Card round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.

The New England Patriots have secured free agent tight end Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal.

A second-round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 NFL Draft, Gesicki will reunite with new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien – who recruited him to Penn State in 2014.

Gesicki caught only 32 passes for 362 yards in the 2022 season, his lowest totals in both since his 2018 rookie season, and did not fit into Mike McDaniel's offensive scheme in Florida.

Prior to that, the 27-year-old caught 73 passes for 780 yards in 2021, both career highs, ranking fifth among tight ends that season for the most receptions.

According to ESPN, Gesicki's one-year deal is worth up to $9million with the Patriots.

In five seasons in the NFL, Gesicki has totalled 231 receptions for 2,617 total yards, scoring 18 touchdowns.

The Patriots have rejuvenated their offensive options in free agency, signing wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, running back James Robinson and offensive tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson.

Jimmy Garoppolo and the Las Vegas Raiders made their tie-up official on Friday as the quarterback was reunited with Josh McDaniels.

Garoppolo's move as a free agent was initially reported on Monday, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback had agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.

The 31-year-old Garoppolo was expected to appear at a press conference on Thursday, but that was postponed without explanation. Now the deal is complete, however, with the Raiders confirming it in a press release. Terms were not disclosed.

Garoppolo will replace Derek Carr, who has departed for the New Orleans Saints.

Raiders head coach McDaniels knows all about Garoppolo's game, having been his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots.

Garoppolo left his role as Tom Brady's Patriots understudy to spend five and a half seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, featuring in the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He featured for much of last season with the Niners, despite losing his place as starter initially to Trey Lance, although his campaign ended early because of a foot injury.

It turns out that top cornerback Darius Slay is staying with the Philadelphia Eagles, after all.

Slay and the Eagles have agreed to a two-year contract extension worth a total of $42million, NFL Network reported Thursday. The deal will guarantee Slay $23m upon signing.

Keeping Slay is a major victory for the reigning NFC champions, especially after all signs had been pointing to his departure.

Last week, the Eagles gave Slay permission to seek a trade, although the five-time Pro Bowler publicly denied asking for it.

With potential trade talks stalled, NFL Network reported on Wednesday that the Eagles planned to release the 32-year-old.

On Wednesday morning, Slay tweeted, "Nothing but love Philly!! Lets see where we heading next.."

A mere 24 hours later, Slay was signed through the 2025 season. He announced his new decision on Twitter: "Back like I never left!!! Run it back."

Earlier this week, the Eagles re-signed fellow cornerback James Bradbury to a three-year, $38m contract as Philadelphia looks to keep together a core that was 14-3 last season and came up just short of a Super Bowl title.

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox remain free agents from a defense that held opposing quarterbacks to an 81.6 passer rating, the lowest in the NFC.

A second-round draft pick in 2013, Slay played his first seven NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions before being traded to the Eagles.

In 151 career games, Slay has 26 interceptions and 133 passes defended.

Jalen Carter has avoided jail after pleading no contest to misdemeanour driving offences relating to a crash that killed a Georgia teammate and a football staff member.

The defensive lineman, one of the most highly rated prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, was charged with reckless driving and racing after an investigation, with arrest warrants leading to his early departure from the NFL Combine.

He returned to Georgia after the arrest warrants were issued, and his attorney announced on Thursday that Carter had pleaded no contest to the charges.

Carter was sentenced to 12 months' probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service, as well as being ordered to complete a defensive driving course.

Chandler LeCroy, who worked in recruitment for the Bulldogs, died along with offensive lineman Devin Willock in the January 15 crash when the car they were travelling in left the road and hit nearby power poles and trees.

Carter's attorney, Kim T. Stephens, issued a statement that detailed the punishment imposed on Carter.

Stephens also addressed a number of claims regarding the incident and said the state was forever barred for bringing any additional charges against Carter regarding the crash.

"The investigation, the warrants taken for misdemeanour traffic charges, and the accusation filed against Mr Carter in the Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court demonstrate some key facts that should debunk false information that spread online and in the media after Mr Carter's arrest," the statement read.

"First, Jalen Carter's actions on January 15, 2023, did not cause the tragic accident involving Chandler Lecroy, Devin Willock, Victoria Bowlers and Warren McClendon. If the investigation had determined otherwise, Mr Carter would have been charged with far more serious offences of vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle under Georgia law, both felony offences, and would have faced a lengthy prison sentence.