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.

Orlando Brown has provided protection for Patrick Mahomes for the last two seasons, but will now do the same job for Joe Burrow as he has been acquired by the Cincinnati Bengals.

After three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Brown moved to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, winning Super Bowl LVII last month.

According to reports, the four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle has agreed a four-year deal worth $64million with the Bengals, including $43.5m guaranteed.

Brown's agent, Michael Portner, also confirmed to reporters that the deal includes a signing bonus of over $31m, the highest ever for an offensive lineman.

Cincinnati will be hoping Brown can provide some more efficient protection for Burrow, who was sacked 41 times in the 2022 regular season, while Mahomes was sacked just 26 times by comparison.

The 26-year-old switched from right tackle to left tackle when he moved from his hometown of Baltimore to Kansas City, so is likely to take the place of former first-round pick Jonah Williams.

Brown took to Twitter to re-post a clip from ESPN prior to him being drafted to the NFL in 2018 in which he was criticised, writing: "Put this on repeat, let it sink in. Been below the line. No stripes earned in this business from pretending. I'd bet the house on me and my work ethic. Can't wait to get to work!! @Bengals"

Fletcher Cox will remain with the Philadelphia Eagles for at least one more season.

The veteran defensive tackle has agreed a one-year, $10million deal with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2012, according to multiple reports.

Cox was reportedly the subject of interest from the New York Jets but took less money to allow the Eagles to retain a key player at the heart of their defense.

Philadelphia have already lost one of their starting defensive tackles from their run to Super Bowl LVII, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Javon Hargrave signing a four-year, $84m deal with the team the Eagles beat to reach the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers.

But Cox's decision to stay ensures the Eagles will still have a dependable veteran presence in the middle of their defensive line as they attempt to make another run.

His 65 career sacks are tied for the third-most in the NFL since he entered the league.

While his pass-rushing threat has somewhat diminished in recent times, Cox's aggregate win rate across pass rushing and run defense snaps of 40.12 per cent was second only to Brandon Graham, whom Philadelphia also retained, among Eagles defenders.

The Carolina Panthers have agreed terms to bring in former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders as they continue to reshape their offense in the offseason.

Sanders was a second-round pick for the Eagles in 2019, and he will head to Carolina after enjoying the best season of his career as Philadelphia were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII.

The 25-year-old ran for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year with Philadelphia, while he had 3,708 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in the last four seasons.

Reports from ESPN said Sanders' deal with the Panthers will run for four years, with the team looking to end a stretch of five consecutive campaigns without making the postseason.

Sanders' arrival continues a busy few days for Carolina, who agreed to send DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears as part of a blockbuster trade last week, receiving the number one overall pick in April's draft in exchange.

That trade has put the Panthers in position to take a leading quarterback after Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker all failed to impress as the team's starter last year.

Carolina have also agreed three-year contract with center Bradley Bozeman, along with deals for tight end Hayden Hurst and backup quarterback Andy Dalton.

The Washington Commanders have brought in some veteran competition at the quarterback spot by reportedly agreeing to a one-year contract with Jacoby Brissett.

ESPN reports that Brissett, who started the Cleveland Browns' first 11 games of last season while Deshaun Watson was serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s conduct policy, will be guaranteed $8million and can earn up to $10m.

The seven-year pro is expected to compete with 2022 draft pick Sam Howell to be Washington’s starter after the Commanders recently parted ways with their two main quarterbacks from last season, Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.

Wentz was released on February 27 and Heinicke reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20m contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.

Brissett comes in with a vast experience edge on Howell, whose lone NFL start came in Washington’s 2022 season finale. The former North Carolina standout helped the Commanders to a 26-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys that day, though coach Ron Rivera indicated this offseason that Howell would have to earn the number one job and the team would likely add a veteran to the mix.

The 30-year-old Brissett has started 48 games, including 15 for the Indianapolis Colts in both 2017 and 2019, and is coming off a solid lone season with the Browns in which he completed a career-best 64 per cent of his attempts while throwing for 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Brissett owns a career passer rating of 84.4 over 76 games while amassing 10,350 passing yards with a 48-to-23 touchdown-to-interception ratio, though his career record as a starter is just 18-30.

A third-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2016, Brissett will be playing for his fourth team in four years. After spending four seasons with the Colts, he started five games for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 before signing a one-year contract with the Browns last March.

JuJu Smith-Schuster will join the New England Patriots after winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs last season.

The wide receiver has agreed a three-year contract worth $33million to sign for the Patriots despite the Chiefs attempting to retain him, according to NFL Network.

"Excited for my next chapter in New England!" Smith-Schuster wrote on Twitter after the news broke on Wednesday.

"I will give this organisation everything I have, thank you for believing in me!"

Smith-Schuster had 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns with Kansas City in 2022.

He then grabbed seven catches for 53 yards as a thrilling Chiefs comeback saw them win Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona, also drawing a crucial late holding penalty from James Bradberry.

Smith-Schuster spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being picked in the second round of the 2017 draft.

He made the Pro Bowl in 2018 after an impressive year that saw him record 111 receptions for 1,426 yards.

A shoulder injury impacted his last year in Pittsburgh but a productive season catching passes from Patrick Mahomes helped the 26-year-old to get his NFL career back on track.

Possession receiver Smith-Schuster was rated as one of the top pass-catchers available on the open market this offseason along with Odell Beckham Jr. and Jakobi Meyers.

He now joins a Patriots team that was in need of receiving talent, particularly after losing Meyers - their leading receiver for three straight seasons - to the Las Vegas Raiders.

As well as expressing his excitement over his free agency deal, Smith-Schuster showed gratitude to the Chiefs.

He added: "Thank you to Kansas City for the giving me the opportunity to come in and contribute to a Super Bowl, the most unforgettable experience of my life.

"I will always love my team-mates, the coaching staff, and the fans for being so great to me."

Ezekiel Elliott has been released by the Dallas Cowboys after seven seasons with the team who drafted him in 2016.

Running back Elliott was a two-time rushing champion in Dallas, including in his rookie year when he tallied 1,631 yards over the ground.

But that remains a career high, and recent seasons have not been so successful, leading to Wednesday's decision.

NFL Network reported Elliott's release as the Cowboys look to create cap space.

Elliott had 12 rushing touchdowns in 2022, beaten by only four players, but he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.

Only four players with 100 or more rushes averaged fewer yards per carry.

Elliott's 23 rushes across two playoff games last year yielded a miserly 35 yards.

A three-time Pro Bowler, he will still no doubt garner plenty of attention as he enters free agency.

Aaron Rodgers has confirmed his intention for the 2023 season is to play for the New York Jets.

Speculation over the four-time MVP's future has once again dominated the NFL offseason, with the Green Bay Packers star offering no clarity on whether he intended to continue his career.

The Jets are reported to have been involved in ongoing discussions with the Packers over a trade, with Rodgers said to have given New York a "wish list" of players he would like to see them sign in free agency.

And on a Wednesday appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show' he finally provided that clarity, indicating he is ready to make the move to New York.

"My intention is to play and to play for the New York Jets. I haven't been holding anything up at this point. It's the Packers and the compensation they're trying to get for me," Rodgers said, before accusing the Packers of "digging their heels in".

"The Packers want to move on and so do I. It's just a matter of getting this thing done."

Rodgers rubbished the talk of him providing the Jets with a wish list, which was said to include former teammates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb as well as Odell Beckham Jr.

"That's not the reality," said Rodgers. "Did they ask me about certain guys, of course. Did I talk glowingly about teammates that I loved? Of course."

He added: "Who wouldn't want Odell on their team?

"I don't have demands, my only demand is for transparency."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract, a move that gives the former number one overall pick another opportunity to prove himself as a starter and the team a veteran presence following Tom Brady's retirement.

Mayfield, who finished last season with the Los Angeles Rams after being released by the Carolina Panthers in December, will earn $8.5million in 2023 according to multiple reports.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner is expected to compete with 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask for a starting position left vacant when the 45-year-old Brady announced in February he was ending his remarkable 23-year career.

It's been a whirlwind past 12 months for Mayfield, who was displaced as the Cleveland Browns' starter last March following that team's trade for Deshaun Watson and ultimately traded to Carolina in July.

He made just six starts with the Panthers while struggling with injuries and inefficient play, and was benched in midseason before later requesting and being granted his release.

Mayfield's performance improved after being claimed off waivers by the Rams, as he completed 63.8 per cent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns with two interceptions in four starts.

In 12 overall games in 2022, Mayfield finished with 2,163 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions and a 79.0 passer rating that ranked 30th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks.

Mayfield has made 69 regular-season starts since being taken by the Browns with the top overall choice of the 2018 draft and has compiled 16,288 passing yards, 102 passing touchdowns and 64 interceptions along with a career passer rating of 86.5.

The 27-year-old's best season came in 2020, when he threw for a career-high 26 touchdowns and produced a 95.9 quarterback rating while leading Cleveland to an 11-5 regular-season record and a win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

Trask has yet to make an NFL start and owns just one appearance, which came in the 2022 regular-season finale. The Florida product completed three of nine passes for 23 yards in relief of Brady in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Darius Slay appeared to bid farewell to the Philadelphia Eagles amid reports he is set to be released.

The five-time Pro Bowl pick, who joined from the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2020 campaign, will depart after three seasons with the Eagles.

Slay was a key member of the Eagles team that reached Super Bowl LVII, and started in the 38-35 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arizona, making four tackles.

The 32-year-old made 40 tackles and three interceptions across the regular season, and recorded 14 passes defensed, tied for 12th in the NFL.

It looks to have been his swansong in Philadelphia, with reports circulating on Wednesday that Slay's time with the Eagles is coming to an end.

Slay appeared to confirm this news on Twitter, posting: "Nothing but love Philly! Let's see where we [are] heading next."

A second-round draft pick for Detroit in 2013, Slay impressed during his time with the Lions, though he only made two postseason appearances with them, in their 2014 and 2016 campaigns.

He jointly led the NFL for interceptions in 2017, alongside Tennessee Titans free safety Kevin Byard.

Slay's exit will come on the heels of the Eagles keeping hold of other key cornerback in James Bradberry, who reportedly agreed a three-year deal earlier this week after entering free agency.

Philadelphia have also agreed to a one-year deal with Rashaad Penny, with the running back set to make the move from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Carolina Panthers are set to draft their quarterback of the future next month, and they have identified the veteran who will serve as the placeholder for the number one overall pick.

Carolina agreed to a one-year, $10million deal with Andy Dalton, according to multiple reports.

While it remains to be seen whom the Panthers will select after trading up to the first overall pick, Dalton gives them an experienced and reliable signal-caller who can hold the fort if the quarterback they take is not ready to start as a rookie.

Dalton spent last season with the New Orleans Saints and was quietly impressive in a campaign that saw him start 14 games.

He completed 66.7 per cent of his passes for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

Those numbers do not reflect the accuracy he demonstrated. He delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 86.5 per cent of his passes, according to Stats Perform data, the second-best ratio among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.

The keys to the Panthers' offense will at some point be handed to one of C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis. Dalton provides Carolina a quarterback who can either keep the seat warm or serve as a high-floor backup if the new face of the franchise quickly ascends to the starting job.

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to trade one cornerback in Darius Slay, but they will hold on to their other starter at the position after agreeing a deal with James Bradberry.

According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed a three-year, $38million deal with Bradberry, who enjoyed a stellar first season in Philadelphia in 2022.

Bradberry tallied the third-most pass breakups in the NFL last season, registering 17, and also intercepted three passes as he helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.

Per Stats Perform data, he finished 15th among all starting corners with a combined open percentage-allowed across man and zone coverage of 25.3. 

His season ended in disappointment as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Bradberry flagged for a key defensive holding penalty that allowed the Chiefs to kill the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.

Bradberry will now attempt to help the Eagles go one better than last season, and, on the other side of the ball, they look to have improved their much-vaunted run game for their 2023 push.

The Eagles also agreed to a one-year deal with running back Rashaad Penny, seemingly spelling the end of free agent Miles Sanders' time with the team.

Last season, Penny led all running backs with at least 50 rush attempts with a yards per carry average of 6.1. Sanders averaged 4.8 yards per rush.

Penny was also the best in the NFL in yards per carry on runs where there was a disruption by a defender. He averaged 4.3 yards per rush on such attempts, while Sanders averaged just 2.7.

However, Penny has started only 11 games in his NFL career and has never finished a full season. For Penny to be an upgrade in the Philadelphia backfield, he'll need to show the kind of durability that has so far evaded him during his pro career.

The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Dallas Cowboys.

Indianapolis will receive a fifth-round compensatory draft pick, according to multiple media reports.

The 32-year-old Gilmore will play for his fourth team in four years, joining a secondary that already features Trevon Diggs, whose 14 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most in the NFL.

Gilmore signed a two-year contract with the Colts last year, and unloading him clears an estimated $9million in salary cap room for Indianapolis.

The Cowboys add the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year to a unit that ranked fifth in points allowed per game last season at 20.1.

Reports of the trade came after Dallas announced that starting safety and 2022 leading tackler Donovan Wilson re-signed for three years and $24m.

Gilmore played his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills before joining the New England Patriots in 2017. The former second-round pick enjoyed his best years with New England, being named to the All-Pro First Team in 2018 and 2019.

He started just three games for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 but had a bounce-back season last year with the Colts. In 2022, Gilmore started 16 games and tallied 66 total tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups.

Gilmore’s 29 career interceptions are tied for the fifth-most among active players.

Aaron Rodgers' future remains up in the air, but the New York Jets know what they can do to convince the star quarterback to join their team.

Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers has held talks with the Jets as he ponders an exit from the Green Bay Packers, his only professional team to date.

And reports on Tuesday revealed Rodgers had given the Jets a wish list in free agency as he hopes to see the team build a roster he can lift into contention.

Rodgers wants the Jets to sign Odell Beckham Jr., ESPN said, as the Super Bowl LVI champion looks to return in 2023 after missing the entirety of last season with the injury he suffered in the previous year's title game.

Veteran Rodgers does not stop there, though, the report added.

He wants two more wide receivers in the form of Packers team-mates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, players he knows extremely well from Green Bay.

Lazard has spent his entire career to date playing with Rodgers, while Cobb has also been on the Packers for 10 of his 12 seasons in the NFL.

The Jets could soon resemble the NFC North giants as the report added detail of Rodgers' interest in linking up again with tight end Marcedes Lewis, who joined the Packers in 2018.

The Las Vegas Raiders have added to Jimmy Garoppolo's weapons by agreeing a deal to sign wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

News emerged on Monday that Garoppolo was signing with the Raiders following the departure of long-time quarterback Derek Carr, reuniting the former San Francisco 49er with his offensive coordinator from his time with the New England Patriots, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, a former director of player personnel in New England, have brought another ex-Patriot into the fold in Meyers, who is signing on a three-year deal worth $33million with $21m guaranteed.

Meyers had the most prolific season of his career in 2022, scoring six receiving touchdowns, while his 804 receiving yards were only a little down on his tally of 866 from 2021.

According to Stats Perform data, Meyers ranked 15th in combined open percentage (46.2) across man and zone coverages among wide receivers with at least 100 matchups and got open on 59.0 per cent of his man matchups. Only four wideouts with a minimum of 25 man matchups won a higher percentage.

The low point of his season came in a Week 15 loss to the Raiders, costing the Patriots the game when he inexplicably threw the ball back across field in the final seconds on a needless lateral play with the score tied. Chandler Jones plucked the ball out of the air and returned it for the game-winning score for the Raiders.

Meyers will now look to create happier memories of Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders as they attempt to return to the postseason in McDaniels' second year.