Despite the salary cap issues facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they made sure to make space to keep Jamel Dean.

The 26-year-old cornerback is re-signing with the Bucs for four years and $52million, according to multiple media reports.

Dean, considered among the best cornerbacks available in this year’s free agent class, made 53 total tackles last season with two interceptions.

Tampa Bay selected Dean in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Auburn. He has played 57 games for the Bucs over the last four seasons with seven interceptions and 41 pass breakups.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise after the franchise had appeared focused on cutting costs to get under the salary cap.

In money-saving moves earlier this offseason, the Buccaneers released a number of ageing veterans, including left tackle Donovan Smith, running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate.

Tampa Bay also restructured the contracts of key players like defensive tackle Vita Vea, wide receiver Chris Godwin and center Ryan Jensen.

This offseason will be key for the organization as it transitions to life without legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

The Atlanta Falcons made a splash by bolstering their defensive secondary on the first day of NFL free agency. 

After spending his first five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, safety Jessie Bates III is signing with the Falcons for four years and $64million, according to multiple reports. 

According to NFL Network, the contract will pay Bates $23m in its first year. With an average annual salary of $16m, Bates becomes among the top five highest-paid safeties in the league. 

Bates, who was a second-round draft pick in 2018, was expected to leave Cincinnati after playing under the franchise tag last season. 

The Falcons' defense allowed 3,942 passing yards last season, 25th in the NFL. 

While Bates will immediately be expected to make an impact and provide veteran leadership with the Falcons, the void he leaves in the Bengals' secondary is likely to be filled by 2022 first-round draft pick Daxton Hill. 

Earlier on Monday, the Falcons announced a five-year, $105m contract extension for guard Chris Lindstrom. 

After a 7-10 campaign last year, Atlanta are likely to continue spending in free agency. The Falcons also have the number eight pick in April's draft. 

The San Francisco 49ers have their insurance policy at quarterback, having agreed a one-year deal with Sam Darnold.

San Francisco last season saw their Super Bowl hopes derailed by injuries at the game's most important position, literally running out of healthy players at quarterback in their NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.

That game saw Brock Purdy suffer a torn elbow ligament on the first offensive series for the 49ers. Josh Johnson was then concussed in the second half.

Purdy, the final pick in last year's draft, had previously improbably led the 49ers to the Conference Championship.

He won all five of his starts in the regular season after taking over from an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 to lift them to a 13-4 record and the second seed in the NFC, and he then helped San Francisco to playoff victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.

Purdy last week had surgery to repair his torn ligament, giving 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, whose season-ending ankle injury suffered in Week 2 forced the Niners to turn to Garoppolo, a chance to stake his claim for the starting job during the offseason programme.

Yet with Garoppolo departing in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders, the 49ers needed an experienced third-stringer, and they have turned to 2018 third overall pick Darnold.

Darnold has failed to live up to his draft slot in spells with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, though he did go 4-2 as a starter for the latter in 2022.

That relative success came with Steve Wilks serving as interim head coach. Wilks has since replaced new Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans as San Francisco's defensive coordinator.

In 2022, Darnold delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 83.2 per cent of his pass attempts, 13th among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, according to Stats Perform data.

Those are encouraging numbers, but the 49ers will hope Purdy and Lance can display the durability to ensure Darnold is not asked to replicate that level of accuracy in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved quickly to find their new left tackle on the first day of the NFL's free agent negotiating window.

Having elected not to place the franchise tag on Orlando Brown Jr., the Chiefs agreed a four-year, $80million deal with Jawaan Taylor, according to multiple reports.

Taylor was the right tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars and, with the Chiefs also losing Andrew Wylie in free agency, would be a natural fit to play the same position for Kansas City.

But he will reportedly shift sides and take the spot vacated by Brown for the Super Bowl champions.

A second-round pick of Jacksonville in 2019, Taylor is coming off the best season of his career, one in which he helped the Jags to the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, where they lost to the Chiefs.

Taylor allowed a pressure rate of 5.8 per cent in 2022, ranking seventh among right tackles with at least 100 pass protection snaps.

He now faces the challenge of replicating that form on the left side. That is no easy feat for any offensive lineman, but playing for Andy Reid and in front of the reigning MVP in Patrick Mahomes, Taylor could not ask for a better situation in which to make the switch.

Ireland will be without Garry Ringrose and Iain Henderson for Saturday's Grand Slam decider against England in the Six Nations after the duo suffered injuries in Sunday's win in Scotland.

Andy Farrell's side are on the brink of a first Grand Slam since 2018 after following up wins over Wales, France and Italy with a 22-7 triumph over Scotland at Murrayfield.

However, Ireland's latest win was marred by a serious-looking head injury sustained by Ringrose, with the centre requiring an oxygen mask as he left the field on a stretcher.

Henderson, meanwhile, will also miss the final game of Ireland's campaign as he undergoes surgery on a forearm fracture, a medical update revealed on Monday.

"Garry Ringrose is doing well today and has returned to Dublin," the update read. "He will take no further part in this year's Championship.

"Iain Henderson is due to undergo surgery today on a fractured forearm sustained in the first half of yesterday's game. 

"The uncapped Ross Molony is added to the squad to provide additional second row cover."

Ireland said Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher will be monitored ahead of Saturday's contest at the Aviva Stadium after both men sustained shoulder injuries, with Ulster’s Tom Stewart called up to the squad as cover.

Ireland's victory over Scotland was their seventh in succession in the Six Nations – their joint-best run in the Championship alongside a seven-game winning sequence between 2004 and 2005.

France still retain an outside chance of defending their title, however, and will be hoping to pile the pressure on Ireland with a bonus-point victory over Wales before Farrell's men meet England.

Full Ireland squad:

Forwards: Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris, Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Ross Molony, Peter O'Mahony, Tom O'Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Roman Salanoa, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Josh van der Flier.

Backs: Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O'Brien, Johnny Sexton, Jacob Stockdale, Nick Timoney, Kieran Treadwell.

RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose does not understand criticism of Erling Haaland's performances for Manchester City, quipping: "If you don't want him, send him to me."

Leipzig travel to the Etihad Stadium for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against City on Tuesday, having recovered from a goal down to clinch a 1-1 draw in last month's first leg.

Rose's men contained Haaland – who he coached during a one-season spell in charge of Borussia Dortmund – on that occasion, but the Norwegian has hit an astonishing 28 goals in 26 Premier League appearances this term.

Despite those returns, some have suggested Haaland is unsuited to Pep Guardiola's possession-based style of play, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher questioning whether the striker had joined the wrong club last month.

However, Haaland's former boss Rose does not see any downside to his presence in City's team and believes it is impossible to keep him totally quiet.

"If you don't want him, send him to me! I'll take him," Rose said at Monday's pre-match press conference. "Even just for the last 10 games. After that, you can have him back! 

"I'm really surprised about that [criticism]. He's scored 28 goals in 26 league games. If you take those goals away, I don't know where City would be in the league. 

"I don't know what we're talking about. Everyone knows about Haaland's qualities. We were able to defend well against him in the first leg, but you'll never be able to keep him completely quiet. 

"They don't just have Erling – there will be many world-class players we'll need to be alert for."

Haaland has scored 17 times in 11 home Champions League games in his career, netting two or more goals on seven occasions and averaging a goal every 49 minutes in those matches.

With City enjoying a 23-match unbeaten streak in Champions League games at the Etihad, Rose says Leipzig must produce their best display of the season to progress.

"We played against Man City three weeks ago. We know what we'll come up against," he said. "In the end, you have to find the right balance against a top team like that.

"Trust, confidence and us playing our best game of the season are what we need tomorrow."

One of the top free agents at right tackle is off the board.

Mike McGlinchey agreed to a five-year, $87.5million contract with the Denver Broncos on Monday, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The deal includes over $50m in guaranteed money.

The 28-year-old McGlinchey had spent the last five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and has established himself at being one of the best at his position in the NFL after being selected ninth overall in the 2018 draft.

He started all 16 games at right tackle as a rookie in 2018 and all 20 contests the 49ers played this past season en route to a berth in the NFC championship game.

In 2022, McGlinchey helped bolster an offensive line that allowed the sixth-fewest sacks in the NFL (31) and open up holes for Christian McCaffrey and a ground attack that ranked eighth in the league in average rushing yards (138.8).

He now joins a Broncos team looking to shore up its offensive line after struggling to protect quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022.

Denver surrendered an NFL-worst 63 sacks last season and scuffled in the ground game as well, ranking 21st in average rushing yards (113.8).

Jimmy Garoppolo will join the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent and reunite with Josh McDaniels.

Garoppolo's move was reported on Monday after the legal tampering period began, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback has agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.

He is set to replace Derek Carr, who had already left the Raiders to find a new home with the New Orleans Saints.

Garoppolo leaves the San Francisco 49ers after five and a half seasons, in which time he was part of the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He was hampered by injuries in San Francisco, however, and lost his place as the 49ers' starter ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Trey Lance was named QB1, although Garoppolo returned to the team on a one-year deal to serve as backup.

Lance soon went down injured, but so too did Garoppolo, giving Brock Purdy the opportunity to establish himself at QB.

With Lance and Purdy set to compete for the starting role in 2023, there was never any possibility of Garoppolo again returning to the 49ers.

Instead, he will team up again with McDaniels, who was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots ahead of joining the Niners.

Garoppolo only made two starts for the Patriots behind Tom Brady, but he is now in line to be the main man in Vegas, where McDaniels is the head coach.

The San Francisco 49ers have added yet more firepower to the NFL's premier defense by agreeing a deal to sign defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.

According to multiple reports, Hargave has come to terms on a four-year, $84million deal that includes $40m guaranteed at signing.

Hargrave was viewed as the top defender on the market after a stellar season with the Philadelphia Eagles in which he helped them reach Super Bowl LVII.

He finished the regular season with a career-high 11 sacks and, according to Stats Perform data, had a pass rush win rate of 43.79 per cent, well above the league average of 29.16 for interior defensive linemen.

Hargrave's addition fills a need for a San Francisco defense that allowed 300.6 yards per game, the fewest in the NFL.

The 49ers have long since won on defense through their depth on the defensive line.

However, though edge rusher Nick Bosa won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 for an 18.5-sack season, the middle of the D-line was a patchwork operation for much of the year, with former first-round picks Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw both missing time through injury.

Even with both Armstead and Kinlaw available, the interior of the D-line was comfortably second-best in the 49ers' NFC Championship Game defeat to the Eagles, with Philadelphia's offensive line dominating that matchup.

Having lost that contest 31-7 in a game that saw the Niners run out of healthy quarterbacks, San Francisco may now switch focus to the offensive line, having seen starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey depart for the Denver Broncos on a five-year, $87.5m deal.

Manchester United will not appeal against a four-game domestic ban given to Casemiro after his red card against Southampton, with Raphael Varane backing them to cope in his absence.

A VAR review saw Casemiro shown a straight red card for a forceful challenge on Carlos Alcaraz during the first half of Sunday's goalless draw at Old Trafford.

The midfielder was also sent off in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace last month, making him the first United player to receive two red cards in a single Premier League season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14.

His second dismissal of the campaign means he must serve a four-match domestic suspension, missing Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham as well as league meetings with Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

Erik ten Hag questioned Casemiro's dismissal after Sunday's game, claiming the 31-year-old is "tough but fair" and labelling the decision "debatable".  

On Monday, however, United confirmed they would not launch an appeal against the Brazilian's suspension, having determined "there was not a high chance of being able to overturn the ban".

United have suffered as many defeats in seven Premier League games without Casemiro (W3 D1) as in 19 (W12 D4) with the former Real Madrid man this term, while their win rate drops from 63.2 per cent to 42.9 per cent in his absence.

Varane, however, believes the depth of their squad will now come to the fore, saying: "He's a player who is very important for us. He brings balance to the team and to the squad. 

"But we have a great squad and we have to find another balance without him. We have good players in every position on the pitch and we are ready for the next games.

"I think he was very disappointed because nobody wants to be off the pitch before the end. We can't be happy with the decision he [the referee] takes but that's part of football." 

Casemiro will be available when United travel to Real Betis for the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, after the Red Devils posted a 4-1 win in the first fixture at Old Trafford last week.

Jason Kelce still has more he wants to accomplish with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The star center announced on Monday he will return for the 2023 season.

"I have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season," Kelce wrote on Twitter.

"After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year.

"Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fuelling me, I ain't f***ing done yet!"

Considered one of the best centers in the NFL, the 35-year-old Kelce has anchored Philadelphia's offensive line since being drafted by the franchise in 2011, starting every game for them since the start of the 2015 season.

A 12-year veteran, Kelce was named to his sixth Pro Bowl this past season while also earning a first-team All-Pro selection for the fifth time.

He won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during the 2017 season and helped the Eagles reach this past season's Super Bowl, where they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother – star tight end Travis.

Tyson Fury is "scared" to face Oleksandr Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian to "up the ante", promoter Alexander Krassyuk has claimed.

A late turnaround in the past week saw talks reignite between the two heavyweight champions, sparking fresh hope for a fiercely anticipated unification bout.

Usyk took to social media to accept a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury, with the WBA stating on Friday it had been informed of an agreement.

Wembley is expected to be the venue for the bout, with April 29 a proposed date, and Fury has now urged his rival to make the fight a one-off event.

Posting a video on social media, he said: "I've been speaking to the lawyers, and Usyk's people have been talking about rematch clauses and all that.

"Here's one to up the ante – how about there is no rematch clause for both of us? Let's up the ante completely.

"Never worry about what's in the future or how many more dollars you can get after you've been defeated. Worry about the fight.

"No rematch clause. Winner takes the glory, the loser goes home. How about that? Agree to that."

However, Usyk's promoter Krassyuk accused Fury of being "scared" with his latest demand and suggested the 'Gypsy King' is looking for a way to pull out of a fight.

"As Usyk said, the greedy belly is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now," he told talkSPORT. "As soon as Usyk accepts a no-rematch clause, there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.

"I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn't expect Usyk to accept [a 70-30 split].

"He was not in a training camp, and we saw the next morning the theatrical performance that he was pretending to jog and fight someone in the ring.

"It's all about nothing. He's not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible.

"We don't trust him, we don't believe him. One more thing to know, when we started the negotiations, Fury's side was the first to ask for the rematch. Fury were the first to ask for the rematch, and we supported this."

Tuesday will bring two finely poised contests in the Champions League last 16 as the second legs continue.

A late goal from Romelu Lukaku gave Inter a narrow 1-0 advantage against Porto at San Siro heading into the return fixture in Portugal.

The Serie A giants did not exactly prepare well, though, losing 2-1 at lowly Spezia on Friday, while Sergio Conceicao's side earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against Estoril Praia the same day.

Manchester City host RB Leipzig fresh off a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace thanks to an Erling Haaland penalty, while the Bundesliga club moved up to third in the table following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

After their 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany, Pep Guardiola will be hoping that home advantage can keep the club's dream alive of a first Champions League title.

Stats Perform has picked out the standout Opta data to preview Tuesday's games.

Porto v Inter

Porto have lost three of their five matches against Inter in the Champions League, though all three of those defeats came away from home. The return leg at the Estadio do Dragao could mean a different story, as they have earned one win and one draw against Inter on home soil.

Having said that, Porto have lost four of their last six home matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League, conceding 13 goals across those four defeats.

They have, though, won each of their last four home matches in Europe against Italian clubs, beating Roma, Juventus, Milan and Lazio in succession. The last Italian side to defeat them away from home was Juventus in February 2017.

Inter have progressed from four of their five two-legged Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg, only being eliminated from such a position in 2005-06 by Villarreal.

Porto have been eliminated from six of their seven two-legged Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, only progressing in 2018-19 against Roma.

Lukaku's winning goal in the first leg meant he has scored eight goals in 12 appearances for Inter in the Champions League. His record of 111 minutes per goal is the best of any player to have scored five or more goals for the club in the European Cup/Champions League.

Manchester City v RB Leipzig

City are unbeaten across their last 23 home matches in the Champions League, winning 21. If they avoid defeat in this match, they will equal Arsenal's record for the longest home unbeaten run by an English club in the competition (24 games between September 2004 and April 2009).

Leipzig are unbeaten in five matches in the Champions League (W4 D1), their longest unbeaten run in the competition since a seven-game stretch in 2019-20 when they reached the semi-final.

The last team to defeat City at the Etihad Stadium in a Champions League knockout stage match was Liverpool in the 2017-18 quarter-final second leg – visiting sides have avoided defeat just once in eight matches since.

Marco Rose has taken charge of three matches in the Champions League knockout stages, with all three coming against City, after his Monchengladbach side were eliminated by the club in the last 16 in 2020-21. The only previous instance of a head coach facing the same opponent in his first four Champions League knockout stage matches is Frank Rijkaard against Chelsea between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Haaland has scored 17 goals in 11 home matches in the Champions League for Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and City, scoring at least two goals in seven of those games. The Norwegian has scored a goal every 49 minutes on average in these matches.

Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku has scored 10 goals across his last 12 starts in the Champions League, including a hat-trick against City at the Etihad Stadium in September 2021. Nkunku is one of two players to score a hat-trick against City in the competition, the other being Lionel Messi in October 2016.