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#SportsReport: Brady Splits With Pats; Durant Tests Positive For Coronavirus

New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady
wikipedia.org
Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady

Tom Brady says he's thrown his final pass for the New England Patriots, and it appears he could be headed to Florida. The 42-year-old quarterback has posted on social media "my football journey will take place elsewhere." The comments were the first to indicate he would leave the franchise he's led to six Super Bowl titles. Brady's representatives are in serious contract discussions with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Brady isn't the only decorated quarterback to leave the only NFL team for which he's played:

Longtime Chargers star Philip Rivers has agreed to a one-year contract with the Colts, according to a person who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Rivers spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the Chargers and has set almost every major team record for quarterbacks since being taken first overall in the 2004 NFL draft. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection joins a team that went 7-9 with Jacoby Brissett under center and faded badly during the second half last season.

The Panthers are parting ways with 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said on Twitter the team is working with Newton and his agent to find a trade partner. The quarterback responded on social media by saying he never requested a trade, telling the organization to "stop the word play" because they're trying to manipulate the narrative and act like he requested a trade. Carolina has replaced Newton with Saints backup Teddy Bridgewater, who accepted a three-year, $63 million contract. That's according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The 27-year-old Bridgewater won each of his five starts for the Saints last season, completing 68% of his passes with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Meanwhile, the Saints are keeping their record-setting quarterback, giving Drew Brees a two-year, $50 million contract. A person familiar with the situation spoke to The Associated Press about the contract on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. The 41-year-old Brees is the NFL's all-time leader in completions with 6,867, yards passing with 77,416, and touchdowns with 547.

However, these and other deals may not be finalized Wednesday as expected. A person familiar with the discussions on Tuesday night told The Associated Press that deals might not be confirmed by teams Wednesday when the NFL's business season begins. This is due to free agents being unable to travel and actually sign agreements, which is a recent league policy to safeguard against the coronavirus. The NFL has banned travel for players and team personnel while also advising clubs that physical exams can only be taken locally by free agents who reach deals.

In other NFL news:

The Eagles have released safety standout Malcolm Jenkins, who led their secondary for the last six years and helped them win the 2017 NFL title. He will cost the team $6 million under the cap, but the Eagles also save nearly $5 million by cutting Jenkins.

The Giants have reached an agreement with Kyler Fackrell on a reported one-year contract. Fackrell spent the last four seasons in Green Bay, recording 17 1/2 sacks as a backup used mostly in passing situations.

The Steelers have placed the inside linebacker Ryan Shazier on the reserved/retired list. But the team says the move doesn't rule out the possibility of Shazier playing again. Shazier spent the last two seasons on the Physically Unable to Perform list while recovering from a spinal injury suffered in December 2017. Shazier has made remarkable progress since the injury and has continued working out in hopes of one day being cleared to play again.

A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the Broncos have agreed to a two-year contract with veteran free agent quarterback Jeff Driskel. Driskel is a former sixth-round draft pick out of Florida in 2016 who has appeared in a dozen NFL games with the Bengals and Lions.

A person familiar with the deal says veteran tight end Jason Witten has agreed to a one-year contract with the Raiders. Witten ended a one-year retirement to return to Dallas this past season, grabbing 63 passes for 529 yards and four TDs. Witten has 1,215 receptions for 12,977 yards and 72 TDs in 16 seasons with the Cowboys.

The Bears have agreed to a five-year, $70 million deal with former All-Pro defensive end Robert Quinn. Quinn recorded 11 1/2 sacks with Dallas last year despite a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. The Bears also released outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, parting with a former first-round draft pick who never boosted their pass rush the way they envisioned.

The Buccaneers are retaining a key piece of an improved defense by agreeing to re-sign linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul to a two-year, $27 million contract. Pierre-Paul has 21 sacks since being acquired in a trade from the Giants two years ago.

Safety Tre Boston has accepted a three-year, $18 million contract that keeps him with the Panthers. Boston started all 16 games for Carolina last season, recording 59 tackles and three interceptions.

The Titans have agreed to terms with defensive end Vic Beasley, who led the NFL with 15 1/2 sacks in 2016 for the Falcons. Atlanta declined to re-sign the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft after he managed only 18 sacks combined over the past three seasons.

The Ravens have fortified their defensive front by obtaining free agent Michael Brockers. He agreed to terms on a three-year contract after spending his first eight NFL seasons with the Rams.

Linebacker Sean Lee is returning for an 11th season with the Cowboys. The 2016 All-Pro has accepted a one-year, $4.5 million contract with $2 million guaranteed.

Free agent linebacker Joe Schobert is joining the Jaguars after four seasons with the Browns. He led Cleveland in tackles twice and made a Pro Bowl.

The Rams have declined their contract option on cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who had been the team's nickel cornerback and their top defender on slot receivers since the team signed him in 2017. The USC product had three interceptions and 122 tackles for Los Angeles.

A person familiar with the move says defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has agreed to sign with the Cardinals. Phillips just finished a breakout season for the Bills, where he started nine of his 16 games and finished with a career-high 9 1/2 sacks.

The Lions have released linebacker Devon Kennard. He matched a career and team high with seven sacks last season and equaled a personal best with 58 tackles as a team captain.

A person familiar with the deal says the Raiders have agreed with free agent linebacker Cory Littleton on a three-year contract. NFL Network reported the contract is worth up to $36 million. In addition, two people familiar with the deals say Las Vegas has agreed to contracts with defensive tackle Maliek Collins, safety Jeff Heath and defensive end Carl Nassib.

A person with direct knowledge of the move confirms to the Associated Press that defensive tackle Vernon Butler has agreed to a two-year contract with the Bills. Butler is coming off a breakout campaign in which he became a starter for the first time and finished with 32 tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles.

CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Kevin Durant is one of four Brooklyn Nets players to have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA. The Nets did not name the players Tuesday, but Durant confirmed he was one of them to The Athletic, saying: "Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this." The Nets announced that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. Utah's Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and Detroit's Christian Wood are the other players who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

In other sports news involving the outbreak:

A person familiar with the diagnosis tells The Associated Press a second New York Yankees minor leaguer has tested positive for the new coronavirus. New York had announced a first positive test on Sunday and general manager Brian Cashman said the player had been isolated and the Florida Department of Health notified. The two Yankees minor leaguers are the only baseball players known to have tested positive.

The Ottawa Senators say one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms and is in isolation. Ottawa is notifying those who came in contact with the player and have told other members of the team to monitor their health and seek advice from the medical staff.

A person involved in the discussions tells The Associated Press the PGA Championship will not be held in San Francisco during the third weekend of May. San Francisco now is among six counties in the Bay Area where residents are ordered to venture outside only when necessary for the next three weeks. There was no indication when the PGA Championship would be played, or if it would remain in San Francisco.

The U.S. Tennis Association says it is considering "the possibility" of postponing the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic. What is usually the last Grand Slam tennis tournament each year is currently scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in New York.

The French Open has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The French tennis federation says the clay-court tournament will be played from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4. The main draw was originally scheduled to begin in Paris on May 24. The next major tennis championship currently on the calendar is Wimbledon, which is to start in late June in England.

NASCAR has vowed to reschedule the seven Cup Series events already postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Figuring out how to cram the events and the All-Star race into the crowded 36-race schedule is potentially difficult. NASCAR President Steve Phelps says the series has no specifics on how it is moving forward. He says he wants the postponed races rescheduled before the playoffs begin in September.

The governing body of European soccer has postponed its marquee championship for one year. Euro 2020 became Euro 2021 in a major shift for an international soccer calendar that is on lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak and with no clear end in sight. The tournament that was due to open on June 12 in Rome is now scheduled for next year from June 11 to July 11, in the same 12 host nations.

MLB

Justin Verlander is using the interruption to the Major League season to recover from surgery. The Houston Astros ace has undergone surgery on his right groin and is expected to be out about six weeks. The timing gives Verlander time to heal before opening day, which has been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the new coronavirus. Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training. His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He recorded a 3.86 in 4 2/3 innings over two spring starts.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

South Carolina is No. 1 in the final Associated Press women's basketball poll of the season for the first time in school history. The Gamecocks received 26 first-place votes and No. 2 Oregon got the other four. Baylor, Maryland and UConn round out the top five. The AP has always released its final poll of the season before the start of the NCAA Tournament, which has been canceled because of the virus pandemic. Louisville, Stanford, N.C. State, Mississippi State and UCLA round out the top 10. The final men's basketball poll will be released Wednesday.

© The Associated Press 2020. All Rights Reserved.