The Baltimore Ravens are confident they can reach a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson amid a contract stand-off.

The Ravens' 2022 season ended with Sunday's 24-17 Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, re-opening discussion on the 2018 NFL MVP's future after shelving talks during the regular season.

There has been an awkward relationship between Jackson and the franchise after the Ravens opted against handing the 26-year-old a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal this season.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Thursday that they are determined to keep Jackson.

"Lamar Jackson is our quarterback," Harbaugh said. "He's been our quarterback. Everything we've done in terms of building our offense and our team, putting people around him, is based around this young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness.

"I'll have my fingers crossed and my toes crossed, I'll be saying prayers, I've every faith it's going to get done. Eric wants him here, I want him here, [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] wants him here and Lamar wants to be here. It's going to work out."

Jackson, who represents himself, wants a guaranteed-money deal while the Ravens are likely to place the franchise tag on him if no deal is completed by March to ensure he does not become an unrestricted free agent.

DeCosta added that he was in constant communication with Jackson and hopeful on completing a new deal.

"It certainly takes two to tango but I think Lamar and I have a great relationship," DeCosta said.

"We communicate quite often. We spent some time together today as a matter of fact. We've spoken throughout the season multiple times. These negotiations, they all happen differently.

"We'll communicate effectively, we'll be as fair as we can be. We'll try to hammer out a deal. Hopefully we can get to that point."

When asked if Jackson would be Baltimore's Week 1 starting QB next season, DeCosta added: "I don’t see any reason why he won't be."

The Ravens fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Thursday, with Jackson to have input in his replacement, in a sign they are moving forward in the assumption he will remain.

Harbaugh added that he had no concerns over Jackson's durability, despite being unable to finish the past two seasons due to injury.

"He's a very durable player," he said. "I know that people might take issue with that. But I don't believe that there's going to be a problem going forward because I know how hard he works."

Jackson started 12 games in the 2022 season, with a completion rate of 62.3 per cent for 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding three rushing TDs and 764 yards on the ground.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as part of a slew of changes made by head coach Todd Bowles.

After an 8-9 regular season and swift exit from the playoffs, the Bucs will assemble a new-look coaching staff for the 2023 season with several notable departures.

Leftwich was among six coaches to be dismissed, along with running backs coach Todd McNair and assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust.

The Buccaneers have also lost three coaches to retirement, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen among them, with Bowles plotting for the future after falling short of their objectives.

"We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons," he said.

"As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season.

"These were very difficult decisions but something that I felt was necessary for our football team going forward."

In the first of four seasons with Leftwich running the offense, Jameis Winston threw for 5,109 yards.

Tom Brady's first year alongside Leftwich saw the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV, but Tampa Bay lost in the 2021 Divisional Round, and signs of a decline started to emerge.

Injuries ravaged the Tampa Bay offensive line in 2022 and the team struggled to find a rhythm, looking at their best when forced to run the two-minute drill, where Brady stepped up.

The Buccaneers' turnover ahead of 2023 may not just be in the coaching department, with Brady's status uncertain, so a significant rebuild is on the cards.

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman announced his resignation Thursday after six seasons with the team and four as its primary play-caller.

Roman said he is leaving to pursue other opportunities in a statement released by his agency, Athletes First. The 50-year-old’s job security had been a topic of speculation after the Ravens struggled to consistently produce points during the late stages of a season in which star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the final six games with a knee injury.

"After visiting with coach [John] Harbaugh and after huddling with my family, I have decided that now is the right time to move on from the Ravens so that I can explore new challenges and opportunities," Roman said.

"I'll truly miss Baltimore, but at the same time I am excited to attack my next opportunity with passion and focus."

Roman’s tenure as offensive coordinator began with a flourish, as the Ravens set an NFL season record with 3,296 rushing yards and averaged a league-high 33.2 points per game in 2019.

Jackson was named the NFL’s MVP that year after setting a league season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,206) and leading all players with 36 touchdown passes.

Baltimore finished seventh in scoring the following season and sixth in total yards in 2021, but slipped to 19th and 16th, respectively, in those categories this season amid injuries to Jackson and the team’s top two wide receivers, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay.

Those struggles were most prevalent after Jackson went down in Week 13, as the Ravens averaged just 13.1 points over the final seven games of a season that ended with Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round playoffs.

Baltimore ended the campaign 28th in passing yards and 30th in touchdown efficiency within the red zone.

"Greg has led the development and success of a record-setting offence in Baltimore for several seasons," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. "He is a tremendous football coach, as well as family man and person.

"Greg devised and led our offence to no fewer than 26 historical and franchise achievements. He established an identity for our offence."

The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs are the among the five teams set to host matches in London and Germany as part of the NFL's 2023 International Games.

The Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars complete the quintet heading to Europe as designated home teams during the 2023 season.

London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will welcome the Bills and the Titans, while the Jaguars return to their home away from home at Wembley Stadium as part of their multi-year commitment to playing in the UK.

The 2023 season will mark a landmark 10th appearance for Jacksonville in London, while the Bills (2015) and Titans (2018) will make their second appearance in the city.

Two games will also take place in Germany, with the Chiefs and the Patriots set to feature, though venues are yet to be confirmed.

The NFL previously announced that Munich, which hosted the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks in 2022, and Frankfurt will stage games in Germany over the next four years.

Details on the dates, opponents and kick-off times will be announced later in the year when the full schedule for the 2023 NFL season is announced.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed Damar Hamlin has returned to visiting the team's facility "almost daily", offering a major boost ahead of their AFC Divisional round game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Hamlin was discharged from hospital last week after being in a critical condition having suffered a cardiac arrest in the January 2 game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

The Bills safety continues to progress on his road to recovery, which McDermott outlined ahead of their rematch against the Bengals for the first time since the incident.

"Damar is in the building now, almost starting daily," McDermott told reporters. "So that's good news. As he continues to improve, that certainly helps.

"That experience, we'll carry that with us. There's a challenge to that, but there's also a lot of good that comes with that. Right now, we need to focus on the positives that came out of that as opposed to the other piece of that."

McDermott said Hamlin's participation was still "limited", not partaking in team meetings or anything physical.

"He comes in and really just started today or yesterday and just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine and just get himself acclimated again and taking it one step, one baby step at a time here," he said.

"Kind of get himself dipping his toe back in here and you know, getting on the road to just getting back to himself."

It remains unclear if Hamlin will attend Sunday's game at Bills Stadium, having watched Sunday's 34-31 victory over the Miami Dolphins remotely.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen added that the players were boosted by Hamlin's return and the emotional trauma of the incident was easing to an extent.

"I think there's honestly not too much left over," he said. "Obviously with guys being able to see Damar, guys being able to see him and talk with him, that alleviates most of that.

"I'm not saying there's going to be none, I can't speak for everyone on the team, but we're extremely focused right now, having a good week of preparation. We'll try to go out there on Sunday and execute."

The Bengals enter the Divisional round game on a nine-game winning streak, seeking back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances. Since Week 9, Cincinnati have the third best points per game and second best points per game differential in the NFL.

Despite that, the Bills are regarded as favourites for the game, given their emotional lift, home ground advantage and having finished as the AFC second seed, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor does not view his side as underdogs.

"We know that we're the defending AFC champions," Taylor told reporters. "There's an edge to this team, we're not an underdog. That's been the feeling the whole season. We know we belong in the field with every team."

Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley was never concerned about losing his job even after his team's historic collapse in a playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Asked during Wednesday's season-ending news conference if he ever felt his job was in danger, Staley responded bluntly: "No."

While the Chargers are keeping Staley on the job, they did fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Shane Day on Tuesday.

"I have a lot of confidence in how we do things here and what we've been able to accomplish and that's the truth," Staley said.

"Everybody that's been around me on a day-to-day basis knows that. I am aware of the speculation … but I was not worried about that because I know what goes on here on a day-to-day basis. I know what we have in our locker room. I know what's out on that field and I'm excited to keep going."

Staley guided the Chargers to a 10-7 record this season and their first playoff berth since 2018. He is 19-15 in two seasons as head coach.

Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is rumoured to be ready to get back into coaching and the Chargers would've been considered a prime landing spot with quarterback Justin Herbert emerging as a top player at the position.

Payton has already met with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans and will soon meet with the Carolina Panthers, according to reports.

Despite Staley's success, he received criticism after he decided to play starters in the regular-season finale despite having already clinched the No. 5 seed right before kick-off. Star receiver Mike Williams suffered a back injury in that game that forced him to miss the playoff loss to Jacksonville.

That decision was only made worse when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars in a 31-30 loss that kept Los Angeles without a playoff victory since 2018.

Staley was asked if Jaguars coach Doug Pederson outcoached him.

"I wouldn't say that was the case for a half," he said. "That team that we were playing showed a lot of fight, a lot of resilience. I thought it was a high-quality game against two teams that are both young and hungry. I thought it was just a high-level game all around."

Jessica Pegula has been wearing a number three on her outfit at the Australian Open, and she confirmed it is to show support to Damar Hamlin.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2 and spent over a week in hospital, much of that time in critical condition.

Pegula's parents own the NFL franchise as well as the Buffalo Sabres NHL team, and during her second-round win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Melbourne, was seen with a number three on her skirt, which is Hamlin's number and became a symbol of appreciation from well-wishers during his recovery.

"I definitely wanted to do something," Pegula said after her 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory over Sasnovich. "We were kind of figuring out what the Bills and the Sabres were doing, just as far as what was the message.

"I knew they would probably do something and what message were they trying to send. It ended up being [that] the three was the symbol.

“I just thought it would be cool to put on my outfit here. I thought it would be a fun way to kind of connect with the team and then also just show my support."

There had been speculation that the number was related to her ranking, with the 28-year-old coincidentally the WTA world number three heading into the Australian Open, where she is the third seed, but Pegula laughed off the suggestion.

"I saw someone tweet that: 'Why would you put your ranking on your skirt?'. I'm, like, 'No, that’s not why,'" she said with amusement.

Pegula will play the winner of Olivia Gadecki and Marta Kostyuk in round three at Melbourne Park.

Ran Carthon has landed his first general manager job with the Tennessee Titans.

News of Carthon's hire in Tennessee was reported by NFL Network on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old had been the San Francisco 49ers' director of player personnel, having previously held a similar role with the Los Angeles Rams.

He had also been a scout with the Atlanta Falcons.

Carthon is replacing Jon Robinson, who was fired in early December.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement explaining that decision: "I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met."

Robinson had been the GM since 2016, with the team reaching the playoffs in four of his seven seasons.

Aaron Rodgers is yet to decide if he will play again in 2023 but will only do so in a team bidding to win the Super Bowl, whether with the Green Bay Packers or elsewhere.

Rodgers won his third and fourth MVP awards in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before becoming the subject of significant speculation heading into this year.

After suggestions the quarterback might look to either retire or leave Green Bay, he returned to the Packers for a disappointing campaign.

An 8-9 record in the NFC North saw the team narrowly miss the playoffs, prompting more debate around Rodgers' future as backup QB Jordan Love continues to wait in the wings.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers outlined his belief he can still be among the NFL's best, comparing his situation to after the 2019 season.

"A lot of people said I was washed, I couldn't play anymore, wasn't the same," the 39-year-old said. "Then I won two MVPs in a row – without really doing anything different.

"I'm sure there's a lot of the same sentiment this year. I have a lot of comments about a lot of that that I'd like to keep to myself.

"Do I still think I can play? Of course. Can I play at a high level? Yes. The highest. I think I can win MVP again in the right situation.

"Is the right situation in Green Bay or is that somewhere else? I'm not sure, but I don't think you should shut down any opportunity."

Rodgers detailed the lengthy talks he held with the Packers before heading away for the offseason, but those conversations are not done.

"I think there's still conversations to be had," he added. "I think no player wants to be part of any type of rebuild.

"Reloads are a lot of fun, because you feel like you're close, like you're only a couple of guys away."

Rodgers recognises Love would likely be the Packers' QB of choice if they were to rebuild, anyway.

"If there's a rebuild going on, I won't be a part of that," he said.

"It's a mindset. If they want to go younger and think Jordan's ready to go, that might be the way they want to go.

"If that's the case and I still want to play, there's no other option: I have to play somewhere else."

But Rodgers still does not know if he does want to play, adding: "I still need to mentally get to a point where I feel 100 per cent locked in to play a 19th season.

"If I do, we'll rock and roll and figure that out; if I don't, we'll head into the jungles for a while."

He is certainly not signing up for another season like 2022.

"It would have to be the right situation with the roster to feel like we can win it all," Rodgers said. "There's no point in coming back if you don't feel like you can win it all."

Monti Ossenfort was introduced as the Arizona Cardinals' new general manager on Tuesday as the team prepare to hire a new head coach.

Ossenfort, previously the Tennessee Titans' director of player personnel and before that a New England Patriots employee in various roles, was appointed on Monday.

Predecessor Steve Keim had stepped away from the position last week after initially taking an indefinite, health-related leave of absence in December.

The Cardinals still need a coach, however, as the announcement of Keim's departure was twinned with the firing of Kliff Kingsbury.

That topic was unsurprisingly prominent as Ossenfort met the media alongside Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill.

Bidwill confirmed the team had interviewed seven GM candidates before settling on Ossenfort as the man to take them forward as they turn their focus to the coaching vacancy.

"It became clear Monti was going to be the best fit for us, with his well-defined vision of turning this organisation around on the field and assisting us in identifying our new head coach, which we will embark on in a matter of days," Bidwill said.

The Cardinals were a miserable 4-13 this year, with Kingsbury unable to even oversee the sort of strong starts that had raised hopes in previous ultimately underwhelming seasons.

Another key issue centred around quarterback Kyler Murray, whose relationship with Kingsbury reportedly deteriorated in 2022.

Ossenfort's message on the sorts of players he wants to see in Arizona colours was clear.

He promised a "unified message across the general manager, the head coach and ownership" and identified the profiles of the playing personnel as key.

"We are going to look for the right type of players," Ossenfort said. "Ego will not be tolerated in this organisation.

"We are going to look for focused, driven people who are willing to put the team first at every step of the way."

The Los Angeles Chargers have fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day following their dismal playoff defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pressure had been building on underperforming Chargers coach Brandon Staley even before he oversaw a 27-point collapse in a stunning Wild Card loss on Saturday.

Lombardi and Day, who came in alongside Staley in 2021, have paid the price for that early exit, the team announced on Tuesday.

Led by Justin Herbert, the Chargers should have the talent to be a contender in the AFC, but the third-year quarterback is yet to win a playoff game.

Indeed, the Jaguars clash represented Herbert's postseason debut, and he looked to be on course for an impressive win after racing into a 27-0 lead.

But the Chargers added just three points in the second half as they lost 31-30, undone as so often by their subpar run game, which yielded only 20 yards and a single first down from eight carries after halftime.

That makes for an obvious area for improvement under the next OC, who will surely relish the opportunity to work with Herbert.

LeBron James believes Tom Brady should only play on in the NFL if his heart is still in it.

The season is over for Brady and there will be no Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round on Monday.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott outshone Brady, delivering the best playoff performance of his career by completing 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another, with no turnovers.

Brady completed 35 of his personal playoff record 66 attempts for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

He will have turned 46 by the time next season begins, and this is now a time for contemplation as Brady wonders whether to extend his NFL career for a further season.

After his shock retirement U-turn last March, Brady is unlikely to have rushed whatever decision he announces this time.

"Listen man, follow your heart," said Los Angeles Lakers superstar James.

"Follow your heart and your gut is going to tell you what to do."

Brady is coming off a campaign where he set an NFL record for the most pass attempts and completions in a regular season, so he may feel there is life left in his playing career.

Speaking on NBA TV, the 38-year-old James said: "That man's been doing it for 20-plus years at such a high level.

"As always, my best wishes. He's not only my favourite quarterback but also a really good, dear friend to me, so whatever he decides to do [I support him].

"I love seeing him on the field, it gives me inspiration to keep going at my age, so we'll see what happens."

Dak Prescott ignored the doubters to lead the Dallas Cowboys to the NFC Divisional Round with a 31-14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.

Prescott completed 25 of his 33 passes for 305 yards at Raymond James Stadium, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another with no turnovers to record the best playoff performance of his career to date.

It was ultimately a comfortable win for Dallas to record their first postseason victory on the road in 30 years, despite sections of the media casting doubt on whether the team was ready to make an impact in the playoffs.

"Didn’t listen," Prescott said after the game. "Simply just didn’t listen to anybody else's opinions, anybody else's thoughts. [I] made sure I was conscious of what I put in my own head.

"[I've] got a great supporting cast in my team, people that believe in me. That's all that really matters to me, and just stay focused on what I can do."

It was a less successful outing for kicker Brett Maher, who made NFL history by becoming the first player to miss four extra points in one game.

The 33-year-old remarkably missed his first four attempts before finally sending his fifth effort through the posts in the fourth quarter to an almost sarcastic cheer from the Cowboys fans in attendance.

He was backed by coach Mike McCarthy to bounce back in next week's Divisional Round clash against the San Francisco 49ers though, with NBC DWF quoting McCarthy as saying: "We need to get him ready to go [for San Francisco].

"We need him. He's been super clutch for us all year."

Maher made 50 of 53 extra point attempts in the regular season, but does hold the NFL record for most 60+ yard field goals with four.

Tom Brady gave no indication about his playing future after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were beaten by the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the Wild Card round on Monday.

It was a tough game for the Buccaneers, failing to score in the first half as they went in at half-time trailing 18-0, and they were unable to make the Cowboys nervous down the stretch.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott produced the best playoff performance of his career, completing 25 of his 33 passes for 305 yards, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another, with no turnovers.

Things were far more difficult for Brady, who completed 35 of his personal playoff record 66 attempts for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Brady, who this season set the new NFL record for pass attempts and completions in a regular season, will be 46 years old by the time the 2023 season begins.

He made no commitment one way or the other when asked about his future during his post-game media availability.

"I'm going to go home and get a good night's sleep – as good as I can tonight," Brady said. "This has been a lot of focus on this game, so it will be just one day at a time, truly."

Brady went on to discuss why he felt the Cowboys deserved the result, and the pain of falling short.

"It's always tough, but we didn't earn it, and they did," he said. "I think that there's a part of football where sometimes you get lucky, but most of the time the team that earns it, wins.

"They played good all year, they played good tonight, they played well as a team, they're very coordinated, they played well on offense, they played well defensively... we just couldn't get enough done offensively to put any pressure on them.

"There's lessons for all of us in every year of our life. You always want every year to end great, but unfortunately sport doesn't work that way. 

"There's 32 teams in the league, and they're all very competitive, and only one is going to feel really good at the end of the year. There's many teams that won [this weekend], and there's going to be seven of the eight that don't feel great at the end of the year.

"That's why it feels good to be on top, when you win it all – it's a great feeling."

Brady is now an unrestricted free agent, and will have his choice of potential destinations if he decides to play on in 2023.

The Dallas Cowboys are through to the Divisional round after manhandling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers en route to a 31-14 drubbing in Monday's Wild Card fixture.

In a completely one-sided beatdown, the Cowboys faced almost no adversity the entire game, jumping ahead by three scores in the first half before cruising to the finish.

It was the best playoff performance of quarterback Dak Prescott's career, finding Dalton Schultz for a touchdown in both the first and second quarter, and Prescott also rushed for a touchdown to open up an 18-0 lead at the long break.

The only issue for the Cowboys was the performance of their kicker, as Brett Maher became the first player since 1976 to miss three extra points in the first half, and he missed another to begin the third period, marking five misses in a row dating back to Week 18.

But Dallas did not need the extra points, and sent Maher out once more following Prescott's fourth touchdown pass of the game, when he finally converted.

Prescott ended up completing 25 of his 33 passes for 305 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers, adding a fifth touchdown with his legs as he tallied seven carries for 24 yards.

Tom Brady, who broke the NFL pass attempts and completions record this season, was again asked to sling it and he completed 35 of his 66 passes for 351 yards, two late touchdowns and one interception in what could be the final game of his legendary career.

The Cowboys will travel to face the San Francisco 49ers next for a chance to make the NFC Championship game.