OAKLAND, Calif. — Retired NFL star Doug Martin spent his final moments alive Saturday morning wandering in the dark through the backyards and banging on the front doors of his neighbors’ houses in the Oakland hills, sources told the Bay Area News Group.

Martin’s subsequent death — after what police described as a “brief struggle” ...Read more

DETROIT — The return of Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans was short-lived.

Back in the lineup for the first time in about a month, Evans sustained a concussion and broken collarbone while attempting to catch a deep pass from Baker Mayfield late in the first half of Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions.

He is expected to be out most of the...Read more

DETROIT — Cornerback Arthur Maulet, who’s been with the Detroit Lions less than two weeks, ran onto the field after quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception with 28 seconds left in the first half.

With Goff’s head drooping, Maulet stuck out his hand, as if to say, “We got you.”

If that was the message, he wasn’t lying — even ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — After the Minnesota Vikings’ 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers wrote on social media that he received “some of the most racist comments I ever seen or read since I entered the league.”

In screenshots shared on his Instagram account, Rodgers, who is Black, revealed an expletive-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Seven months after he gave a tear-filled speech announcing his retirement following 15 seasons with the Eagles, Brandon Graham is set rejoin the team, league sources told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Momentum toward a deal was building over the weekend, and league sources confirmed to The Inquirer Sunday that the wheels were on ...Read more

DENVER — Dre Greenlaw played one game for the Denver Broncos. Now he’s been suspended for a game by the NFL.

The league announced Monday that Greenlaw has been suspended for Denver’s Sunday home game against Dallas. According to the league, “After the conclusion of the Giants-Broncos game, Greenlaw chased after referee Brad Allen and ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Ravens players were back to work Monday afternoon in Owings Mills, Md. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was still not, however.

Jackson was absent from Monday afternoon’s practice, Baltimore’s first since returning from its bye week. The two-time NFL Most Valuable has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in the third ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The name “Shanahan” in the NFL means the outside zone blocking scheme.

It’s the family business that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan inherited from his dad, Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan. It’s that synchronized ballet of an offensive line firing off the ball in unison, moving left or right, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The in-custody death of former All-Pro running back Doug Martin during a reported home break-in early Saturday morning will be investigated by various agencies in compliance with state laws, the Oakland Police Department said.

Martin, 36, died in a hospital after he became unresponsive following his arrest by Oakland police ...Read more

CLEVELAND — The Miami Dolphins’ new low of Sunday’s 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns is not producing any change in football leadership at this time.

The national reports came in Monday morning as many Dolphins observers are increasingly growing to expect the development with the team 1-6 and one coach already down this NFL season, as ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Sometimes, asking the Atlanta Falcons to escape mediocrity feels like asking a projectile to escape the force of gravity, like hoping a moth will resist a flame.

Six days after a hope-inspiring win over a Super Bowl contender, the Falcons who’ve made missing the playoffs their own art form reappeared Sunday night, ...Read more

MIAMI — Talk about disrespectful.

Not only is that the most fitting way to describe the Miami Dolphins’ performance in the Toilet Bowl battle of one-win teams with the Cleveland Browns, but it accurately describes how Miami’s fellow NFL bottom dweller treated the Dolphins (1-6) during this 31-6 loss.

How bad was it you might ask?

The ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Fred Warner cheered from a Levi’s Stadium suite with his surgically repaired ankle elevated. Down below, the San Francisco 49ers put on a victorious show for its fallen linebacker and a prime-time audience.

Sunday night’s 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons delivered a much-needed morale boost.

While Christian ...Read more

CHICAGO — Asked about the overall trajectory of his offense, Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson elected for a visual representation over a verbal one. He moved his hand up and down in front of him, undulating like a wave rolling up onto the shores of Lake Michigan.

“Up and down,” Johnson said. “That’s what we’ve looked like. We haven�...Read more

BOSTON — Drake Maye spent his Friday night standing on the sidelines of a high school football game.

On Sunday, it looked like he was playing in one.

In his 19th start, Maye broke the Patriots’ franchise record for highest completion percentage in a single game with at least 20 throws. He sliced and diced Tennessee’s defense, then set ...Read more

NEW YORK — “Hello darkness, my old friend.”

That’s a lyric to Disturbed’s song, "The Sound of Silence," but it could be the theme of the New York Jets’ 2025 season.

The Jets have not played complementary football in any of their seven games this season, which is why they find themselves 0-7 and the only winless team in the NFL. ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — For the better part of a year, they were the problem children in Tampa Bay. Not unruly. Not disrespectful. Just a little underwhelming when it came to making plays and winning football games.

The secondary was the easy place to start when it came to figuring out the cause of most losses in 2024. There were all those last-minute ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers had the look. All-gold uniforms. Retro logos. Powder-blue end zones with script from the nostalgic days of Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.

But their defense?

As dead as disco when it counted most.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, trampled the Chargers on Sunday ...Read more