After spending much of his offseason recovering from a right elbow injury, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford resumed throwing as the Los Angeles Rams opened training camp on Sunday.  

"It feels good to get out there," Stafford said. "Definitely knocking some rust off and feeling it again. It's good to get out there and stress it a little bit and see how it reacts."

Stafford, who helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title last season, has rested his arm since February and received an anti-inflammatory injection in his elbow. 

Stafford and head coach Sean McVay have said that the 14th-year quarterback will have to ease back into a full workload after taking so much time off. 

"It's an interesting thing trying to have a little bit of governor on there, and at the same time, just trying to be as smart as I can," Stafford said. "It's a process. Just going to have to sit there and work through it, trust it. We'll figure it out as we go."

McVay told reporters that while Stafford is on a pitch count, it didn’t come into play in Sunday’s camp-opening session. 

"[Stafford] was a full participant today," McVay said. "Like him having as much experience as he does, we will continue to build him up.

"We're aware of what that pitch count is, but it didn't restrict him from being able to do anything today."

Acquired last offseason from the Detroit Lions, Stafford was a key reason why the Rams got over the hump to win their first Super Bowl since the 1999 season. 

Stafford tied a career high last season with 41 touchdown passes and registered a 102.9 passer rating, starting all 17 games. 

He added nine more touchdown passes during the Rams’ postseason run, including six to Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have appeared to have found their replacement for the retired Rob Gronkowski, signing tight end Kyle Rudolph to a one-year contract on Monday.

The deal is reportedly worth $2million and Rudolph can earn an additional $1.5million in incentives.

Gronkowski retired for the second time in his career last month despite having the chance to play another season with Tom Brady, who announced his retirement on Feb. 1 before changing his mind March 13 and returning to Tampa Bay.

In Rudolph, the Buccaneers land a tight end who had 26 catches for 257 yards and one touchdown last season for the New York Giants.

That was Rudolph’s only year with New York after spending his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, who selected him with the 11th pick of the second round (43rd overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Rudolph earned two Pro Bowl selections while playing for Minnesota, including being named the MVP of the game in 2012 after having five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Rudolph has appeared in 156 regular-season games, hauling in 479 passes for 4,745 yards and 49 TDs.

Raheem Mostert has confirmed he is fit to feature in the Miami Dolphins' training camp.

Mostert has been out of action since Week 1 of last season due to a knee injury.

The running back and his team-mates are scheduled to report for training camp on Tuesday, and on Monday Mostert used his official Twitter account to declare his fitness.

"Wanted to give you all an update," he wrote on Monday. "Yah Boy is CLEARED!!! It's go time!!"

Mostert has been rehabbing his knee since chipping cartilage in the San Francisco 49ers' 2021 season opener.

He underwent surgery in October and signed a one-year contract with Miami this offseason, reuniting him with first-year coach Mike McDaniel, who served as the 49ers' run game coordinator as well as offensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2017 to 2021.

"Being told you may never step on the field again isn't easy to hear," Mostert went on to write. "But when you bet on yourself, your faith, your determination, and modern medicine, good things happen. Hard work pays off! Beyond thankful!!"

The 30-year-old enjoyed his best season with the 49ers in 2019, when he rushed for 772 yards and eight touchdowns with an average of 5.6 yards per carry – the best by a running back with a minimum of 100 attempts – but injuries have limited him to just nine games these past two seasons.

Now entering his eighth season, Mostert is one of three new running backs signed by the Dolphins this offseason, along with Sony Michel, who led the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams with 845 rushing yards last year, and Chase Edmonds, who rushed for 592 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Dolphins, who brought back Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed from last year's backfield, struggled mightily to move the ball on the ground last season as only the Houston Texans averaged fewer yards per carry than Miami's average of 3.55 and had fewer plays of 10+ rushing yards than Miami's 34.

Known for his speed, Mostert led all running backs with a minimum of 100 rushes in 2019 in percentage of carries gaining at least 10 yards at 16.8 per cent.

After seemingly implying that Derek Carr is a Hall of Fame quarterback, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams pumped the breaks on writing his presentation speech for his new team-mate's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

During an interview on CBS Sports on Friday, Adams was asked about moving on from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to his new quarterback in Carr.

"Anytime you change quarterbacks from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer… it's going to be a little bit of an adjustment," he replied.

It certainly sounded like he was saying that the four-time league MVP and a Super Bowl MVP Rodgers – who had 37 touchdown passes to only four interceptions in 2021 for his eighth season of 30 or more TD passes – and Carr – who had 23 TD passes to 14 interceptions in 2021 and has not thrown more than 30 TD passes in a season since 2015 – both belong in the Hall of Fame.

Adams clarified that initial comparison and acknowledged he meant it is going to be an adjustment whenever you change quarterbacks.

"What I meant to say was even if you go Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer it's an adjustment," he said.

"Even if it is Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, there's going to be an adjustment. I wasn't saying Hall of Famer Aaron to Hall of Famer Derek."

While he was quick to see how his original remarks could have been misinterpreted, he still believes his new quarterback could one day join Rodgers in the Hall of Fame.

"What I'm not going to do is take away from that statement because, why is Derek not a Hall of Famer? What I meant, I left one key word out of there because that's not exactly what I meant," he said.

"But I do think that Derek's career is Hall of Fame-worthy, and why not? Does he have the MVPs right now? No. Has he won a Super Bowl? Not yet. That's obviously what we're chasing."

Entering his ninth season in the NFL – all with the Raiders – Carr appeared in his first playoff game this past January – a 26-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which he threw an interception near the goal line in the final seconds.

Carr is a three-time Pro Bowler and the Raiders’ all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but he has not had a receiver as dynamic as Adams in recent years.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Adams had career highs of 123 receptions for 1,553 yards last season while also catching 11 touchdowns after hauling in 18 in 2021.

The 29-year-old receiver signed a five-year, $141.25million contract extension after being traded to the Raiders this offseason and is now reunited with his former Fresno State team-mate in Carr as they look to help the franchise to its first postseason win since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2002 season.

"But what I'm not going to do is say Derek is not going to be a Hall of Famer because at the end of the day I believe, and this is not putting any expectations or any added pressure on him because he puts that type of pressure on himself because of what he expects every time he touches the field," Adams said.

"But yeah, I did not mean to say exactly that. I'm going to reiterate, even if you go from Hall of Famer to even another Hall of Famer, it's going to be an adjustment. Any time you change quarterbacks, is what I was getting at. So, take that and run with it and do whatever you want to do with it."

The XFL announced on Sunday that it will return in 2023 with the league revealing the home cities, and head coaches for each team.

Owners Dwayne Johnson and longtime business partner Dany Garcia announced that the eight teams competing next year will be Arlington, Houston, San Antonio, Orlando, Las Vegas, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

Originally founded in 2001 by WWE’s Vince McMahon and relaunched in 2020, the XFL went bankrupt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its future was uncertain. Johnson and Garcia then purchased the league in August 2020.

Longtime Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will coach Dallas, former NFL head coach Wade Phillips will coach Houston and former Steelers receiver Hines Ward is the San Antonio coach.

Las Vegas will be coached by 17-year NFL veteran Rod Woodson, Seattle’s coach is former Rams and Saints coach Jim Haslett, former NFL cornerback Terrell Buckley will be Orlando’s coach, former NFL tight end Anthony Becht is St. Louis’ coach and Washington will be coached by Reggie Barlow, who played seven seasons in the NFL as a receiver.

The XFL is expected to kick off on February 18, 2023.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Rodger Saffold hurt his ribs in a recent car accident and has been placed on the non-football injury list, coach Sean McDermott announced.

The 34-year-old Saffold joined Buffalo on a one-year contract in March after he was released by the Tennessee Titans following a 2021 season in which he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. The move saved Tennessee over $10million in salary cap space.

Saffold's setback was revealed as the Bills opened their training camp on Sunday.

McDermott said: "Rodger Saffold will start on the NFI list. Rodger injured some ribs in a car accident recently, so he'll start on NFI."

Saffold was the first pick in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He spent his first nine seasons with the Rams before signing a four-year, $44million deal with the Titans in 2019.

Saffold’s 160 games since 2010 are tied for the fourth-most among active offensive linemen in the NFL over that span.

McDermott said he expected Saffold to "be back in due time".

Forecasting which players will break out in a given NFL season is a difficult exercise.

New stars can come from anywhere. Highly drafted rookies can swiftly justify their selection, while others who have endured a less linear path to the highest level often emerge from the wilderness to become well-known names.

But, for those players who have already had the benefit of experience in the league, Stats Perform can look at the data to judge who is in a spot to potentially make the jump to stardom.

Such ascents are regularly a product of situation. Here we look at three offensive players and three defenders who find themselves in spots conducive to a possible breakout year in 2022.

Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles

Hurts making the leap in his third season in the league is largely contingent on how his skill set is utilised by the Eagles.

Playing behind an excellent offensive line that ranked fifth in pass-block win rate last season and with a host of playmakers now including A.J. Brown, Hurts looks set up for success in 2022.

But for that success to be realised, the Eagles must tailor their offense to what he does well. In 2021, where Hurts clearly excelled was in the play-action game. Hurts produced a well-thrown ball on 80.4 per cent of play-action pass attempts, averaging 16.78 air yards on those throws.

Though they averaged 9.2 yards per play when they ran play-action, the Eagles did so on only 13.07% of their passing plays. By contrast, they ran straight dropback pass plays on 39.21% of snaps but averaged just 7.35 yards per play. Philadelphia went to the quick game on 21.57% of snaps with an average of 5.31 yards per play.

Having acquired Brown, who thrived playing in a heavy play-action offense with the Tennessee Titans, the Eagles must lean more into the play-action looks to give Hurts the best chance of improving on a quietly efficient 2022.

It would not be a seismic shift in their offensive approach, but with the talent level on their roster, it is one that could propel the Eagles to a deep playoff run and allow Hurts to end questions about his legitimacy as the long-term starter.

Brandon Aiyuk - San Francisco 49ers

Drafted from the star-studded receiver class of 2020, Aiyuk has not produced at the same level of Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Tee Higgins.

That is partly a product of the many mouths there are to feed in the San Francisco offense and partly a result of him falling out of favour with head coach Kyle Shanahan early last season.

However, Aiyuk worked his way back to being a focal point of the Niners offense down the stretch in 2021, producing a string of key plays during their surge into the postseason.

Aiyuk produced a big play on 40.8% of his 98 targets last season – fourth among wide receivers with at least 50 targets in 2021. Delivering a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 65.3% of his targets, his 16 receptions of 20 yards or more were tied for 12th in the NFL.

His numbers in that regard appear likely to improve as the 49ers transition from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance at quarterback. Only one quarterback with a minimum of 50 attempts last season – Drew Lock (10.20) – averaged more air yards per attempt than Lance (10.10). Garoppolo’s 7.38 per attempt was below the league average of 7.99.

Aiyuk is an excellent route runner who brings yards-after-the-catch upside and has already shown signs of building a rapport with Lance, catching four passes for 94 yards in the 2021 third overall pick’s second start against the Houston Texans. 

If that rapport is furthered with a quarterback who should greatly improve the downfield threat posed by the San Francisco passing attack, 2022 could be the season in which Aiyuk establishes himself as another gem from a receiver class that has already emphatically lived up to its billing.

David Njoku - Cleveland Browns

The Browns have been waiting for an Njoku breakout since drafting him in the first round in 2017, and they are seemingly banking on it coming in the near future.

Cleveland signed Njoku to a four-year, $56.75 million extension this offseason having initially placed the franchise tag on the former Miami Hurricanes tight end. Those moves were made despite Njoku having a career-high in receiving yards of 639, which was in 2018.

Njoku has struggled with injuries – never starting more than 14 games in a season – but there’s evidence to suggest this will be the year he puts it all together. Last season, Njoku had a mediocre burn rate of 57.7%, but Rob Gronkowski (12.87) and Dallas Goedert (12.39) were the only tight ends with at least 25 targets to average more burn yards per target.

He was tied for 10th in burn yards per route (2.3) and 14th in big play rate (29.9%) and, assuming he stays healthy, will likely be the number two target behind Amari Cooper for the Browns in 2022.

The Browns' offense has recently been built around the running ability of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but Deshaun Watson (if and when he is allowed to play) offers the passing game a significantly higher ceiling.

With the Browns’ wide receiver options beyond Cooper lacking in experience, Njoku stands to benefit greatly from that additional upside through an increased target share and the efficiency numbers from 2021 paint the picture of a player who will take advantage of his extra opportunities.

Christian Barmore - New England Patriots

New England suffered a self-inflicted talent drain in the secondary, but the impact of the loss of J.C. Jackson and Co. may be minimised if the Patriots can get more from the defensive front.

The Patriots were seventh in pass-rush win rate last year, so it is fair to question how much more of a jump they can make in that regard. But Barmore is the one who may fuel such a leap.

New England's second-round pick from 2021 had just 1.5 sacks last season. However, he ranked eighth among defensive tackles with at least 100 one-on-one pass rush matchups with a stunt-adjusted win rate of 38.34%.

He achieved a top-10 finish in that metric despite being double-team blocked 127 times. Only seven defenders were double teamed more often. 

Converting those pass-rush wins into sacks will be the aim in 2022 and, if he continues to dominate his matchups in his second year and the Patriots get the consistency from edge rushers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche to reduce the number of double teams, Barmore's production should see a significant improvement.

Pete Werner - New Orleans Saints

Off-ball linebackers might not move the needle like they once did, but Werner is set to step into a starting role alongside Demario Davis on a Saints defense that is still expected to be among the best in the NFL.

Werner allowed a burn on 13 of his 27 targets in coverage, and his ratio of 48.1% was above the league average for linebackers with at least 25 targets (50.8).

His burn yards per target allowed average of 8.08 yards was 18th for the players at his position to meet that threshold. Werner allowed a big play on 17.4% of his targets, also putting him comfortably on the right side of the ledger for that metric (the average was 19.8%).

On top of that, his run disruption rate of 12.1% was eighth for all linebackers with a minimum of 50 run defense snaps.

In a hugely encouraging rookie year, Werner proved he is ready to step up to the starting role.

Playing on a defense stacked with talent on the front and in the secondary, he is in a situation to make a massive impact for a unit that may have to carry the load if the Saints are to return to the playoffs in 2022.

Rashad Fenton - Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs suffered an underrated loss in free agency as cornerback Charvarius Ward departed for San Francisco. Ward allowed a burn on just 39.8% of targets in 2021 – the fourth-best rate among corners with at least 50 targets.

His departure will likely see Fenton and L'Jarius Sneed start at corner this season, though the Chiefs did add Trent McDuffie to their secondary in the draft.

The numbers indicate Fenton will rise to the challenge. He was second in burn yards per target (7.71) and third in burn yards per snap (1.22) allowed last year (min. 50 targets).

He gave up a big play on just 15.2% of targets – the third-best ratio in the league for the position. Fenton's consistency in producing tight coverage should fuel optimism he can ensure Ward's exit is not one that will cause the secondary to struggle.

Fenton has only two interceptions and 18 pass breakups to his name in three seasons. Another year of stingy coverage combined with more on-ball production for a Chiefs team likely to go deep into January again would raise the profile of an under-the-radar but very talented corner.

David Bakhtairi's hopes of being ready for the start of the 2022 season appear in jeopardy after he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list by the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers open their training camp on Wednesday as they prepare to make another push for a Super Bowl title after suffering more playoff disappointment last season.

But Bakhtiari will not be on the practice field as he continues a prolonged recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage suffered in December 2020.

Players added to the PUP list may be activated at any time before Week 1 but cannot practice before then. 

Five-time All-Pro Bakhtiari played in just one game in 2021, featuring for 27 snaps against the Detroit Lions in Week 18.

However, he was absent as the Packers suffered a 13-10 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs.

In 2020, Bakhtiari allowed a pressure rate of just 2.8 per cent, tied for the best in the NFL among left tackles with Andrew Whitworth, per Stats Perform data.

Should he be able unable to line up for the Packers' Week 1 clash with the Minnesota Vikings, Yosh Nijman – who started eight games in 2021 – would likely step into the breach

The final celebration of the Los Angeles Rams' 2021 championship season concluded with Thursday's Super Bowl LVI ring ceremony.

And with that, Sean McVay and the Rams are focused on the season ahead.

The Rams open training camp on Sunday, just over five months after they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the Super Bowl.

"It was kind of good timing, because now it represents, 'Let's turn the page,'" McVay said on Friday. ''Let's not minimise what a great year last year was, but that's not going to have anything to do with this year.''

No team has won back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots did so in February 2005, and McVay realises there is a reason it has been nearly two decades since it has been accomplished.

''So many things have to go right,'' McVay added. ''We could be a better team this year, and I think we've got a chance to do that, and it might not mean we win a Super Bowl, because there are a lot of things that take place throughout the course of a game - the bounce of a ball here - certain things that are out of your control.''

The Rams had quite a few close calls en route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with three-point victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers and the Bengals in the playoffs.

While there are some parts of the game that coaches and players cannot control, McVay acknowledged that with proper preparation and the right mind-set, the team will be in the best position to win and avoid a dreaded Super Bowl hangover.

''A hangover, to me, what that entails is guys think they're better than they are,'' said McVay, whose Rams missed the playoffs in 2018 after reaching the Super Bowl the previous season.

''They stop working the right way, complacency sets in and the previous success you think is going to have anything to do with your future success. We've got the right kind of guys in our locker room, the right kind of coaches that are intrinsically motivated.''

As the defending champions, the Rams have the honour of kicking off the 2022 season when they host the Buffalo Bills on September 8.

Kyler Murray had no desire to continue his NFL career anywhere other than with the Arizona Cardinals, the quarterback said after signing a five-year, $230.5million contract extension.

Murray and the Cardinals finally reached agreement on a deal that contains $160m guaranteed on Thursday, rewarding him for three seasons of largely stellar play and Arizona's first playoff appearance since 2015 last season.

Negotiations between the two franchises had not always appeared to be harmonious, particularly in late February when Murray and his agent Erik Burkhardt released a statement seemingly urging the Cardinals to prioritise signing the former to a long-term deal rather than simply talking about it.

But, with the saga behind them, Murray is now fully focused on his ultimate goal in the NFL.

"My job is to fulfill my promise and bring a championship here. There's no question about it," Murray said.

"There's no other place that I wanted to be this whole time. And I mean that."

Murray prompted a heated reaction on social media when he deleted all photos relating to the Cardinals from his Instagram account following his appearance in the Pro Bowl.

"All the social media stuff and all that, that's going to happen regardless," Murray added. "Play good, they love you. Play bad, they hate you.

"It is what it is. That's just this day and age. You've got to have tough skin. So, I've grown up in it. So, it's nothing new."

Before being selected as the first overall pick by Arizona in 2019, Murray was picked ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and signed a contract with the A's.

Asked if this extension ends any prospect of Murray eventually switching to baseball, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim interjected and could not resist a dig at the A's, who have parted with a host of their stars in recent times and have the second-lowest payroll in MLB at $48.5m.

"Did you guys see the payroll of the Oakland A's versus this contract?" Keim replied. "Enough said."

Patrick Mahomes is not fazed by no longer being the NFL's highest-paid quarterback because his contract still means he is "set for life".

When he put pen to paper on a 10-year, $450million extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, Mahomes became the best-paid player in the league with an average annual salary of $45m.

However, deals signed by Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson this offseason have bumped the Chiefs signal caller down to fourth on the list.

It is not something that matters to Mahomes, who expects he will slip further away from the top spot in the coming years.

"When I signed my deal, I knew I was going to be pretty set for life regardless of how the market happens,'' Mahomes said.

"You just keep playing. Money is one thing, but when you get those Super Bowl rings at the end of your career, I think that's going to be the thing that you look back upon. I think I've made enough money from the football field and off of it as well that it won't matter at the end of the day.

"Especially at the quarterback position, the next guy is the top-paid guy. Any of these top-tier quarterbacks, they make such a difference on NFL football teams that [older contracts are] going to get passed up.

"They'll keep setting the bar even higher. You always want to get paid and take care of your family, but I want to have a great team around me as well. Whatever way that is, I'm going to make sure I have a great team around me for the rest of my career."

The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Orlando Brown last March but were unable to sign him to a long-term deal before last week's deadline, and it is unclear whether the left tackle will report for training camp next week.

"He's a great team player. He has a high IQ," Mahomes said. "You want him to be here just because of the guy he is, and he's a leader on this football team.

"But at the same time when it comes to money and contracts and stuff like that, I never force anyone to do anything because I know they're trying to provide for their family long term. But as a team-mate and as a friend, you want him to be here and be a part of this.

"It didn't work out for him this offseason the way that he wanted it to, but whenever he gets here I'm sure he will be ready to go and he'll go out there and show what calibre of player he is again."

After leading the NFL in touches during a strong rookie season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is ready for another heavy workload – even a historic one - if it leads to another trip to the playoffs.

"I can get 500," Harris said in an interview on The Rich Eisen Show. "If I get 500 carries, as long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter."

Harris accumulated 381 touches during the 2021 regular season, the most by a rookie since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson's 398 in 2001. The Pro Bowler said he's prepared to increase that total if again called upon to be the focal point of an offense that will be breaking in a new starting quarterback following the offseason retirement of franchise icon Ben Roethlisberger.

"The more carries you get, the better you are," Harris said. "You get more of a feel for the game, you get an understanding of how the defense is playing. Obviously, you wear them down."

Harris' quick transition to the NFL game indeed played a big part in the Steelers reaching the postseason for the sixth time in eight years. Pittsburgh went 6-0-1 when the former Alabama star had 20 or more rushing attempts in a game and was 3-7 when he was under that mark.

The 2021 first-round pick accounted for 29.8 per cent of the Steelers' yards from scrimmage. Only Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (35.4 per cent) and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (29.9 per cent) had a higher share of their team's scrimmage yards last season.

Harris takes great pride in being able to contribute on all three downs in an era where skill players are becoming more specialised, and disputed any notion his heavy usage made him less effective.

"I didn't have an issue with it, it was the media that had an issue with it," he told Eisen. "I told them every game, I was like, 'Man, if this is the way to winning, I can carry the load'. I train to carry loads. It's not something I hadn't done before. I did it in college, high school."

A further increase in responsibility would put Harris in some very select company, as only five players in NFL history have recorded 450 or more touches in a season. Tampa Bay's James Wilder holds the league record of 492, set for the Buccaneers in 1984, while the last to eclipse that threshold was Larry Johnson for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.

"This is our identity right here," Harris said of the Steelers' run-based approach. "So, let's keep this going on."

The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to terms with quarterback Kyler Murray on a multi-year extension that will reportedly make him among the NFL's highest-paid players.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed but ESPN reports the deal to be a five-year, $230.5million pact with $160m guaranteed, that will run through the 2028 season.

Murray, the No.1 overall pick of the 2019 draft and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season, has two years remaining on his original contract.

The deal is slightly higher than the five-year, $230m extension the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson in March, though Watson's contract is fully guaranteed.

Murray's $46.1m annual average salary over the duration of the extension is the second highest in the NFL, behind only two-time reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers' $50.3m.

Arizona also avoid a potential distraction involving their quarterback's future entering training camp.

ESPN reported in February that Murray was frustrated over a lack of progress in extension talks and the criticism he received following the team's playoff loss to the eventual champions Los Angeles Rams.

Murray did not attend voluntary offseason workouts but did take part in the Cardinals' mandatory minicamp last month.

The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner has started all but two of Arizona's games since entering the NFL and has helped the Cardinals increase their win total in each of his three seasons, capped by an 11-6 finish in 2021 and the franchise's first playoff appearance in six years.

Murray began last season as an early MVP candidate after leading the Cardinals to a 7-0 start, though his and the team's play dropped off in the second half with a nagging ankle injury a factor in his struggles.

The 24-year-old produced a 116.8 passer rating with a 73.5 per cent completion percentage and 17 touchdown passes during the seven-game winning streak.

Murray's rating dipped to 86.5 as Arizona went 2-5 in his next seven starts, and he threw just seven touchdown passes over that span with a significantly lower completion rate of 65.5 per cent.

Murray's rough stretch continued into the postseason as he completed just 19 of 34 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Cardinals' 34-11 opening-round loss to the Rams.

The former University of Oklahoma star still earned a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod after finishing second in the NFL in completion percentage (69.2 per cent) and posting a career-high 100.6 passer rating

The Atlanta Falcons signed Eddie Goldman in early July to provide depth on the defensive line, but he is stepping away from the game before ever stepping foot on the field with his new team.

Goldman informed the Falcons on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the 28-year-old signed a $1.12million, one-year deal with Atlanta on July 6.

A second-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2015, Goldman spent his entire seven-year career with Chicago, which included opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

He returned in 2021, playing in 14 games while totalling 22 tackles.

Over his career, Goldman appeared in 81 games with 73 starts, compiling 175 tackles with 13 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Goldman had one year remaining on a four-year contract worth $42million before the Bears decided to release him on March 14.