Kyle Shanahan said Deebo Samuel "inspires" him as the San Francisco 49ers confirmed the All-Pro wide receiver has signed a three-year extension.

Reports on Sunday suggested that Samuel, who was entering the final season of his rookie deal, would receive $58.1million guaranteed, in a deal potentially worth $73.5m.

In the 2021 season, Samuel became just the second player to score six or more rushing and receiving touchdowns and record over 1,000 receiving yards in a single NFL campaign, after former 49ers running back Roger Craig in 1985 was the first.

Samuel also set an NFL season record for a wide receiver with eight rushing touchdowns.

The 26-year-old led the league in yards per reception (18.2) last season among players with at least 35 catches, while his 1,770 yards from scrimmage ranked as the third most in the league and the second-highest total by a wide receiver in franchise history, behind only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's 1,884 in 1995.

Speaking at a media conference on Monday just prior to the official confirmation, head coach Shanahan said: "My favourite thing about Deebo is how much he inspires people. He inspires me more than almost any player I've watched on a field.

"The way he runs the ball when you're handing it to him or you're throwing it to him, when he's catching it on a kick, and these aren't things that you have to talk him into doing. He usually talks you into doing [them] because Deebo just loves playing football.

"He loves helping us win, and I think that's what everybody sees on Sunday when you guys watch him on TV. I think that's why this country really likes Deebo also."

Samuel had reportedly requested a trade in April, but the two sides worked out their issues and Samuel did report to June's mandatory mini-camp as well as training camp, though he did not practise while his contract situation remained unresolved.

Following confirmation of the deal, 49ers general manager John Lynch also referenced the player's inspirational qualities, saying: "We are overjoyed to have come together with Deebo to keep him with the 49ers for years to come.

"Deebo has the rare ability to not only play at a unique level but to inspire his team-mates with the way he plays. He is a special player that embodies 'will meeting skill'.

"We're proud to move forward with him as an integral leader and foundational piece of our team."

The NFL will review the decision of a former US district judge to impose a six-game suspension on Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The former Houston Texans star faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The NFL was seeking a suspension for a breach of the league's personal conduct policy, and retired judge Sue L Robinson ruled Watson should be sidelined for six games with no additional fine.

The league issued a statement on Monday that read: "We thank Judge Sue L Robinson, the independent disciplinary officer, for her review of the voluminous record and attention during a three-day hearing that resulted in her finding multiple violations of the NFL personal conduct policy by Deshaun Watson.

"We appreciate Judge Robinson's diligence and professionalism throughout this process.

"Pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL or the NFLPA [NFL Players' Association] on behalf of Watson may appeal the decision within three days.

"In light of her findings, the league is reviewing Judge Robinson's imposition of a six-game suspension and will make a determination on next steps."

Despite the NFL stating the possibility of an appeal, the NFLPA previously confirmed it would not oppose any decision taken by Robinson.

"Every player, owner, business partner and stakeholder deserves to know that our process is legitimate and will not be tarnished based on the whims of the league office," the NFLPA said in a statement on Sunday.

"This is why, regardless of her decision, Deshaun and the NFLPA will stand by her ruling, and we call on the NFL to do the same."

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is set to be issued a six-game suspension following a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson.

The former Houston Texans star faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries.

The NFL was seeking a suspension for a breach of the league's personal conduct policy, and Robinson has ruled Watson should be suspended for six games with no additional fine, according to NFL Network.

That would see the Browns without Watson for games against the Carolina Panthers, the New York Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots.

His Cleveland debut would potentially follow against the Baltimore Ravens on October 23.

The NFL and the NFLPA have three days to appeal the decision, although the latter had already confirmed on Sunday it would not oppose any decision taken by Robinson. 

"Every player, owner, business partner and stakeholder deserves to know that our process is legitimate and will not be tarnished based on the whims of the league office," the NFLPA said in a statement.

"This is why, regardless of her decision, Deshaun and the NFLPA will stand by her ruling, and we call on the NFL to do the same."

Watson settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported on Monday ahead of the hearing verdict.

He has not played since the 2020 season and was traded to the Browns in March, signing a fully guaranteed five-year $230million contract.

Orlando Brown Jr is set to return to the fold for the Kansas City Chiefs with reports he will attend Monday's training camp.

The left-tackle had skipped the first week of camp amid a contract dispute but ESPN's Robert Griffin III states he will return to play on the one-year franchise tag, earning him a $16.6million pay out for the upcoming season.

Brown's return comes as NFL teams have their first padded practice on Monday and it will provide a huge boost for the Chiefs, as well as quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs are looking to tie Brown to a multi-year contract but it is reported Brown turned down the team's last offer of a six-year, $144million contract with a $30.25m signing bonus – with the sticking point being no guaranteed money after the first two years.

Brown was a third-round pick by Baltimore in 2018 and has been selected to three Pro Bowls in four seasons, all of which came during his three years with the Ravens.

In Brown's absence from the training camp, the Chiefs have turned to fifth-year tackle Roderick Johnson who took the majority of first-team reps last week.

On Johnson's role, head coach Andy Reid said: "Johnson] was productive in the offseason, so coming in, we thought he could help out. We'll just see how it rolls."

The Chiefs begin pre-season at the Chicago Bears on August 13th, then host the Washington Commanders and the Green Bay Packers before the regular season starts on the road at the Arizona Cardinals on September 11th.

Deebo Samuel finally has the long-term contract he had been seeking, as the San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $73.5million extension.

Samuel, who was entering the final season on his rookie deal, will receive $58.1m guaranteed, according to NFL.com.

The agreement ends a drama-filled offseason standoff between the 49ers and their dynamic playmaker, who reportedly requested a trade in April. The two sides gradually worked out their issues and Samuel did report to June’s mandatory mini-camp as well as training camp, though he did not practice while his contract situation remained unresolved.

One of the NFL’s most unique talents, Samuel joined former 49ers running back Roger Craig (1985) as the only players in league history to score six or more rushing and receiving touchdowns and record over 1,000 receiving yards in a season when he did so in 2021. The 26-year-old also set an NFL season record for a wide receiver with his eight rushing touchdowns.

The four-year veteran also led the NFL in yards per reception (18.2) last season among players with at least 35 catches, while his 1,770 yards from scrimmage were the third most in the league and the second-highest total by a wide receiver in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s 1,884 in 1995.

Samuel’s new deal is similar to the three-year, $72m extension awarded to Seattle Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf earlier this week. Metcalf’s contract reportedly contained $58.2 million in guaranteed money.

One day after reaching a three-year, $72million contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf came clean with his negotiating process. 

"I was going to be here, as much as I bluffed to [general manager] John [Schneider]," Metcalf said. ''I wasn't leaving, just to let you all know. I wanted to be here. I wanted to play here and I'm glad that we got something done.'' 

Metcalf met the media Friday morning with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider at his side. 

"It was a stressful process, but glad that it’s over," Metcalf said. 

According to reports, Metcalf’s deal includes a $30m signing bonus, the highest ever for a wide receiver. His $24m yearly average salary ties him with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs as the NFL’s sixth-highest paid receiver. 

"We had goals that we talked about, both on the team side and our side," Metcalf said. "But this is just an amazing moment to where I do get to help my family and the state of Mississippi and the surrounding communities for years to come."

Metcalf made $911,914 last season, when he had 75 receptions and a career-high 12 touchdown catches despite playing through a foot injury for most of the season. 

His 3170 receiving yards are the most by any Seahawk in his first three seasons, while his 29 touchdowns over that span are one shy of the club record.  

"It just hit me as I was sitting up here. I told my parents, and I was just smiling on the phone," he said. "My mom started crying, dad started crying, but I was just smiling. Then when I sat up here, it just hit me like, it’s here. D.K., it’s time for you to step up." 

After he did not take part in last month’s mandatory mini-camp and watched the first two practices of training camp, Metcalf is expected to participate in the Seahawks’ next practice on Saturday.  

"Seeing him to be so much more than just a football player is a great thrill for me," Carroll said. "Everybody talks about how he’s a great athlete, he’s a beast, he’s all this kind of stuff. I don’t like that talk about him. This guy, he’s a complete person and he has so much to offer."

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes addressed the infamous "study clause" in Kyler Murray's contract on Friday, saying it is "weird" how black quarterbacks are criticised in the NFL. 

Murray made headlines earlier this week when it was revealed his five-year, $230.5million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals contained a clause requiring him to independently watch at least four hours of game film per week during the season. 

After the report surfaced, Murray made an impassioned defense of his work ethic, and the Cardinals announced on Thursday that the addendum was removed from his contract. 

"Obviously, the black quarterback has had to battle to be in this position that we are to have this many guys in the league playing," Mahomes said after a camp practice.

"Every day, we're proving that we should have been playing the whole time. 

"We've got guys that can think just as well as they can use their athleticism. It's always weird when you see guys like me, Lamar [Jackson], Kyler kind of get that on them when other guys don't.

"But at the same time, we're going out there to prove ourselves every day to show we can be some of the best quarterbacks in the league."

However, Mahomes noted all NFL quarterbacks feel pressure to prove their worth.

"You always feel like you have more to prove," he said. "I promise Tom Brady is feeling like he has more to prove.

"That comes with any sport, any competitor. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. They build you up to tear you down. You've got to kind of know that. 

"For me, it's all about how I can make myself better, not what other people say. How can I make myself better so that we go out there and play football games?

"At the end of the day, nothing matters until you're on that football field playing, and that's where you get to prove who you are every single day."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly expect Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen to be out for the upcoming season, with head coach Todd Bowles confirming he will miss "significant time".

Jensen, Tampa Bay's starting center since 2018, was carted off after suffering a left knee injury during Thursday's training camp practice.

Bowles told reporters on Friday the team were still awaiting test results on Jensen's knee, but a lengthy absence is anticipated for Tom Brady's protector.

"We don't know the severity of it per se, but I do know he'll miss some significant time, up to a couple of months," Bowles said.

"Whether he'll be back later in the season, November or December, that depends on what they find. He won't be available anytime soon."

Jensen's extended absence adds another question mark to an interior offensive line that was already an area of concern for Tampa Bay entering camp due to the departures of 2021 starting guards Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa.

Marpet retired in February, and Cappa signed with the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, although the Bucs did trade for Shaq Mason from the New England Patriots to take over at right guard.

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

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

The Buccaneers currently do not have any other players with starting experience at center. Robert Hainsey, a 2021 third-round pick who saw just 31 offensive snaps as a rookie, took over the position following Jensen's injury. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Thursday, Roethlisberger walked back on his comments.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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