While quarterbacks still make up half of the top 30 highest-paid players annually heading into the 2022 season, there are six defensive players who have worked their way into the mix with massive contract signings. There are a few different ways one can analyze NFL contracts — average salary, guaranteed money and total contract value. Those different filters will provide different results as to a player’s ranking among the rest of the league, but all three are important to assessing the value of a player’s contract....

He had no idea he would be penalized for it. But after sliding to the grass in the end zone at Arrowhead Stadium, that’s exactly what happened. The devout Muslim, who stepped away from the game for a year to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, saw yellow flags flying from the game officials. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty touched off a firestorm of controversy on social media, with many wondering how it was different than players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer....

The Panthers look to continue their excellent run on Thursday night against the red-hot Eagles, who powered to a win last week behind four Carson Wentz touchdown passes. Things aren’t getting any easier for the winless and injury-ridden Giants, as they have to face the 3-1 Broncos on “Sunday Night Football.” The Monday night game pits the Titans against the Colts. Below is the full NFL schedule for Week 6 with kickoff times (all Eastern) and TV coverage....

Following a month of a highly criticized preseason ripe with injuries, 80-yard fields and even a surprise retirement of one the the game’s best quarterbacks, 32 franchises set forth on a quest to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Hard Rock Stadium after winning Super Bowl 54 in Miami. As seems to always be the case, the Patriots are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl again after claiming the title last year over the Rams....

No need to call Doc Brown or get the time machines ready, it’s just the release of the 2020 NFL schedule at 8 p.m. ET. But reports of scheduled matchups will trickle in well before then, as is custom on this day every year. 2020 NFL SCHEDULE RELEASE:Strength of schedule rankings | How to watch release show One thing we know for sure: The NFL has already nixed the idea of playing international games due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic limiting travel and complicating things for professional sports leagues around the world....

In this week’s edition … Josh Norman gets flagged five weeks late, the 49ers get punished for celebrating something they didn’t officially do and the league MVP gets told, “Cameron Jerrell Newton. You are not. Going. To. Walk. Out. Of. This. House. Dressed. Like. That. Period.” MORE: NFL power rankings In chronological order of instances where pointlessly twisted priorities became evident in the NFL: Against the Bears in snowy Chicago, the 49ers blocked a punt and scored what seemed like a go-ahead, momentum-shifting touchdown, and reacted exactly like a desperate team starving for a win would (and should)....

Most of the big rumors are swirling around Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who already has played his last down for the team and remains tied most to the Dolphins. But Miami also is an obvious “seller” with the same 1-5 record of Houston with a third of 2021 NFL season finished. Here’s going around to every team in the league and the one player they should think about targeting to trade or trade for most:...

All data presented is as of Thursday morning. You can track all NFL line movement on BetQL’s Line Movement Dashboard. Figures below calculated by wagering one unit on each touted bet with -110 spread odds. WEEK 11 NON-PPR RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker NFL Week 11 Betting Picks: Spread pick of the week Dolphins (+6) vs. Bills The Bills have lost two of their past three games and are 1-1-1 against the spread over that span....

However, there always seems to be a game where the bettor feels they have an edge over the book. To help us pinpoint that matchup we talked with betting expert Joe Rodgers, senior writer for BetIndianaNews, about the Week 6 schedule. Which game are you targeting with the most confidence in Week 4? Saints at Jaguars (-1), 1 p.m. ET Sunday (CBS) The Saints (4-1, 3-2-0 ATS) are rolling with Teddy Bridgewater, while Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars (2-3, 3-2-0 ATS) are licking their wounds after a loss to the Panthers, but Rodgers is confident Jacksonville can win this game and cover the spread....

Now, the NFLPA is allegedly investigating the way the team and the NFL handled the incident involving the New Orleans running back. MORE: NFL players behaving badly | SN’s Week 1 picks According to Pro Football Talk, Robinson struck the intern in the head after an argument over whether Robinson owed the intern money for driving him and a teammate to a store to get their phones fixed during the team’s training camp in West Virginia....

Lehner, who in a letter written last summer in The Athletic detailed his struggles with bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcohol and drug addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder, received the Masterton Trophy as the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game. Amid an otherwise lighthearted evening, Lehner delivered a heartfelt speech that reiterated the message he initially conveyed in his preseason letter....

The NHL has announced all the finalists for the 2022 NHL awards, which there are 10 total. Included in those honors are the Vezina, the Norris, the Hart and the Selke. The winners of the awards were revealed on Tuesday, June 21 at the NHL Awards show. Here is a look at the finalists and winners that were announced. MORE: How Auston Matthews’ 2021-22 season stacks up against other Maple Leaf greats...

Once again, several games tonight have an over/under of six based on Vegas odds. However, as we saw on Tuesday and Wednesday, several games with projected high totals fizzled, which is always a worry. MORE: SN DFS | DFS Lineup Builder Because of the volatile nature of goalies (and other reasons), there will be more information on social media coming closer to roster lock. Don’t be afraid to ask questions....

The 18-year-old from Saint-Eustache, Que., has been the consensus No. 1 pick for months if not years. This past season he led the QMJHL with 112 points (35 goals, 77 assists) in 52 games for the Rimouski Oceanic. At the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, he led Canada to the gold medal and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Best Forward after posting 10 points (four goals, six assists) in five games....

Round 1 kicked off on Friday night when Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the consensus top two prospects, were selected first and second overall by the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, respectively. The final six rounds of the draft will commence on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET with the Ottawa Senators holding the first pick in the second round. Sporting News is keeping track of every pick in every round....

There was some chaos to start Round 1, as the Canadiens elected not to take Shane Wright and instead, select Juraj Slafkovsky. The Devils and Coyotes also decided to pass on Wright, taking Simon Nemec and Logan Cooley, respectively. The Kraken eventually stopped the Kingston Frontenac’s free fall by taking him at No. 4. But the draft is far from over as the action resumes on Friday with the remaining six rounds set to take place....

In a complaint filed Wednesday in Manhattan, the league argued arbitrator James Oldham “applied his own brand of industrial justice” by ignoring the findings of commissioner Gary Bettman, who had upheld the original suspension after Wideman appealed. Wideman was suspended 20 games by the league for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson from behind during a Jan. 27 game against the Nashville Predators, resulting in a concussion for Henderson. Moments before the hit in question, Wideman smacked his head on the end boards during a check and appeared woozy as he skated to the bench....

Think of July 1 as the NHL’s Black Friday: a secular holiday in which the masses (in this analogy 30 general managers) are goaded into spending money for the sake of spending money. Everyone out, about and looking for the same things results in unmitigated mayhem. What may have started off of as small, defined shopping list grows out of an inherent need to grab as many things in your line of sight as you can....

First up for the TNT doubleheader is the Blackhawks and the Blues battling in Chicago. Both teams sit in the bottom half of the Central Division, which at this point in the season, is not where people expected them to be. The Blues have been one of the more disappointing teams to start. An eight-game losing streak dropped St. Louis to the bottom of the division, as the team has a record of 6-8-0....