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Who can blame him? FREE AGENCY: Victor Cruz visits Panthers following release from Giants After 12 NFL seasons without a playoff victory, the 35-year-old left tackle has different priorities at this point than a mere money grab. Whitworth wants to play for a legitimate Super Bowl contender. That’s why Whitworth sounds inclined to see if a championship-caliber team makes a pitch and exactly how the Bengals are addressing their own roster heading into the 2017 offseason before making any decisions about his playing future....

NFL Media reported Monday that Incognito “wants to play again.” Incognito, 35, retired after the 2017 season, then changed his mind. But the Bills released him in May 2018 and he didn’t play last season. But Incognito was at the top of his game when he retired, as he had made three straight Pro Bowls with the Bills from 2015-17. According to the NFL Media report, Incognito is reportedly “in shape and feeling well in all aspects....

Fisher and the Rams are checking both boxes with free-agent wide receiver Kenny Britt. STLToday.com reported Monday that they've agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million, plus incentives. Britt, 25, comes to St. Louis with much baggage, including multiple arrests. Fisher, though, is willing to risk another meltdown in hope of adding a playmaker to the Rams' sputtering offense. When he's healthy and in the league's good graces, Britt can be productive....

Given Allen's age (31) and decline in play, no team is likely to be willing to break the bank on him. But he's the type of addition, with his relentless play and work ethic, who could put an established Super Bowl contender over the top. MORE: Buyer Beware: Free agent risks | Top 50 free agents Enter the AFC champion Denver Broncos, who shot down rumors they were interested in trading for him before the 2013 midseason deadline in October....

MORE: NFL Week 4 scoreboard | Must-see photos | Regional TV schedule Bears vs. Lions Bears’ Charles Tillman, Lions’ Reggie Bush active Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman is in the lineup against Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions. Tillman was questionable for Sunday's game because of knee and groin injuries. Lions running back Reggie Bush is active, as expected. He was listed as probable with an ailing left knee, a week after missing a game....

Following a complete seven-rounder, a two-rounder with trades and a three-rounder earlier this week, our final NFL mock draft for 2020 features just the first two rounds. The goal with these mocks is to provide an idea of what the teams are thinking, which prospects’ stock is rising and what are the logical fits based on positional need and overall value. For one last time this year, here’s exploring yet another set of player selection permutations....

NFL Draft analysts can be stubborn fellows, after all. But even through that, the endless mock drafts this time of year get a little tiresome as we get ready for the real thing on April 23. We’ve seen all kinds of mocks: with trades, without trades, the non-obvious ones and even the click-bait ones. That’s just the nature of this time of year, after all. And there’s no certainty when it comes to the NFL Draft, after all....

Here’s a pick for this week’s NFL card: Miami Dolphins (5-3) @ Detroit Lions (6-2) Winners of three in a row – both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) – the Dolphins head north for a matchup against the Lions. Having gone 4-1 SU in their last five, with the one loss being a nail biter against Green Bay, the Dolphins’ balanced roster just might have the right mix to pull off the upset this week....

A cardiologist and biomedical researcher, Nabel will continue to serve as president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Bloomberg reported last week that Nabel turned down the league’s offer. “We are excited to have Dr. Nabel’s insight as we continually seek ways to make our game better and safer,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “The game is safer than it has ever been, but not as safe as it will be with advisors like Dr....

While the preseason football is some considerable distance away from the intensity typical of the 17 regular season weeks, it still represented a significant uptick in quality from the Hall of Fame razzmatazz. The first week of preseason games provided numerous talking points, with the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield already looking in the groove, while Devin Bush and James Washington caught the eye of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mayfield played just one series for the Browns on Thursday night, but took Cleveland 89 yards down the field in just over two minutes....

That said, as the year goes on, that trend will likely even out and remain around .500. Bettors and bookmakers are learning much more about each team and as they collect more data, it becomes easier to find undervalued lines and make sleeper picks against the spread. Three games is a fairly solid sample size by which to determine trends. Savvy bettors put a lot of work trying to separate the good and bad teams from the lucky and unlucky....

The NFL reportedly addressed the issue at this weekend’s officiating clinic. The league can’t do much to slow down the game, but it can speed up the zebras. Several teams, including the Eagles, have complained that the officials’ process of spotting the ball between plays hinders the offense’s ability to operate at its desired tempo. All the NFL officials are at a Dallas-Fort Worth hotel this weekend for their annual clinic in advance of the season....

Yet overtime is the talk in the aftermath of Kansas City’s 42-36 victory. Patrick Mahomes II and Josh Allen put on a show, but the Bills did not get a chance to respond after Kansas City scored on the opening possession. The NFL’s overtime rules and format will be hot topic of discussion again in the league meetings this winter as a result. The NFL’s postseason overtime format has been questioned for more than 60 years, ever since a controversial, last-second field goal set up overtime in the 1965 Western Conference championship between Green Bay and Baltimore....

This week, there’s a bit of a prognostication break with four teams on the season’s first bye (Falcons, Jets, Saints, 49ers) dropping the number of matchups from 16 to 14. That gives us two fewer chances to get things wrong, but it also gives two less chances to get things right. Here’s a breakdown of the latest round of NFL games and whom we like to win and cover in each contest:...

We’re back to a slate of 14 matchups with only four teams on a bye. From Thursday through Monday, there’s also a unique contest to consider on Sunday morning. The AFC has had big games, but this week’s marquee belongs to the NFC. Diving into the lines early in the week, here’s Sporting News’ latest fearless forecast of professional pigskin prognostications: (Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction) MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 10...

The Sunday schedule features just one matchup between teams with winning records. That’s the 4:25 p.m. ET game between Kansas City and Tampa Bay – another showcase game for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. The rest of the schedule features matchups in which several teams are looking to play spoiler. The next-best matchup on the schedule is the timeless rivalry between NFC North rivals Green Bay and Chicago. The Packers can extend their lead in the division to three games with a victory....

Mahomes has been voted Sporting News’ Offensive Player of the Year for 2018 based on a vote of his peers. If watching his jaw-dropping, playmaking exploits were not enough, one look at his astronomical numbers — 50 TD passes, 5,097 yards passing, 9.6 adjusted yards per attempt and 113.8 passer rating — allowed him to win in a landslide. Mahomes joins previous SN OPOYs Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as only three members of the 50-TD club....

There are two contests between division rivals in store (Steelers vs. Browns, Seahawks vs. Rams) and one playoff rematch from last year (Titans vs. Ravens). The familiarity between those teams should intensify what is already a high-stakes weekend and add a mind-game component for coaching staffs to deal with. Several teams are in much better positions than to which they are accustomed. The Bills are coming off their best regular season since 1991, while the Browns are in the postseason for the first time since 2002....

Here is what the seeding would look like if the playoffs started today, including analysis of where every team stands in the race for the eight division titles and four wild-card berths. NFL playoff picture AFC Who would be in: Chiefs (8-1), first in AFC West Kansas City took care of Cleveland to stay ahead of New England, which beat the Chiefs in Week 6. The Chiefs’ bye is in Week 12, and before then, they have a gimme game (Cardinals at home) and a tough toss-up against the Rams in Mexico City....

Here is an updated look at what each conference field would look like now, what teams are still in contention and what teams should already be thinking about the offseason: MORE: Clinching scenarios for Week 14 NFL standings for Week 14 AFC playoff picture Who would be in? Ravens, first place, AFC North (11-2) — The Ravens clinched a playoff spot by beating the Bills while the Texans lost to the Broncos, and they got closer to the division title (up three wins on Pittsburgh with three to play)....