Sports
Patriots looking for 'unprecedented deal' to move out of No 3 pick in 2024 NFL Draft: report
The New England Patriots are “open for business” with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they want an “unprecedented deal” to move out of that slot, per ESPN.
With director of scouting Eliot Wolf saying this past week that the Patriots’ phone is being watched to hear about potential offers at No. 3, the only way they’re going to move is if another team blows them away with a deal.
The Patriots understand that a top-three selection in the NFL Draft is a franchise-altering pick – for better or for worse – and a “blockbuster” deal is the only way they would want to leave it. And considering the Patriots need a new franchise quarterback after Mac Jones was traded away to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it only makes sense for them to stay put.
New England Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on Feb. 27, 2024. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Many evaluators have had the Patriots taking one of three quarterbacks: LSU Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and national championship winner J.J. McCarthy from Michigan.
Wolf and Jerod Mayo, who is taking over as head coach for Bill Belichick, both understand the importance of the pick, and everyone in the NFL knows that a team is usually as good as their quarterback play.
EX-PATRIOTS STAR ‘NOT SURPRISED’ BILL BELICHICK’S TIME WITH TEAM ENDED: ‘WE WEREN’T GETTING ANY PRODUCTION’
ESPN added that Mayo and “some top decision-makers” acknowledged that this No. 3 pick will be tied with their legacy in New England.
Where the Patriots decide to go with the pick, granted they stay put, will be determined by what the Washington Commanders do at No. 2 overall. The Chicago Bears, owners of the top pick, are expected to go with USC’s Caleb Williams.
Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots speaks during a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Commanders are expected to also take a quarterback despite going with Sam Howell last season.
But what if a team like the Minnesota Vikings, desperate for a quarterback but own the No. 11 and No. 23 picks, wants to jump other potential competition like the New York Giants at No. 6 to get the signal-caller they want? Could they come calling the Patriots to give them those first-round picks and more?
This is what makes the NFL Draft so much fun, especially the week of the draft when general managers and owners take calls left and right to hear what other teams have to offer.
Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 didn’t bother to entertain a trade when they went with Joe Burrow out of LSU at No. 1 overall, but the Patriots are taking a different approach.
(Winslow Townson/Getty Images/File)
It doesn’t hurt to pick up the phone. We’ll see if Wolf and the Patriots hear an offer they can’t refuse when it’s their time on the clock Thursday night in Detroit.
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Sports
Longtime Blackhawks great and broadcaster Troy Murray dies at 63, team says
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Former Chicago Blackhawks standout Troy Murray, who transitioned to the broadcast booth after his playing career, has died, the team announced Saturday. He was 63.
The Blackhawks said he died earlier in the day.
It’s unclear where Murray spent his final moments. Murray publicly disclosed his cancer diagnosis in August 2021. While he revealed he had been undergoing chemotherapy, details about the type of cancer he was fighting were kept private.
Murray, affectionately known as “Muzz,” continued to appear on Blackhawks broadcasts during his cancer battle, though his appearances eventually tapered off. He stepped away from the booth entirely ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Troy Murray is honored during Hockey Fights Cancer night during a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks at United Center Nov. 28, 2021, in Chicago. (Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
For more than a decade, Murray starred at center for the Blackhawks. CEO Danny Wirtz said the loss of one of the franchise’s most respected leaders left the team “deeply heartbroken.”
“Troy was the epitome of a Blackhawk so far beyond his incredible playing career, with his presence felt in every corner of our organization over the last 45 years,” Wirtz said.
“During his long and hard battle with cancer, it was often said that Troy didn’t have any ‘give up’ in him,” Wirtz added. “While our front office won’t be the same without him, we will carry that spirit forward every day in his honor. We’ll miss you, Troy.”
Troy Murray, a former player for the Chicago Blackhawks, is honored during the “One More Shift” campaign prior to a game against the Ottawa Senators at the United Center Feb. 21, 2018, in Chicago. (Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
After 12 seasons with the Blackhawks, Murray finished his NHL career with the Colorado Avalanche, winning the 1996 Stanley Cup.
After spending the following season with the International Hockey League Chicago Wolves, Murray stayed in the city to begin his broadcasting career in 1998. Murray was also named the president of the Blackhawks alumni association.
“Troy Murray is remembered for not only his contributions on the ice, but for his professionalism and humility and dedication to the city of Chicago,” the team said in a release. “He leaves behind a lasting legacy within the Blackhawks family and the broader hockey world.”
Chicago Blackhawks radio announcers John Wiedeman and Troy Murray wear lavender ties in honor of Hockey Fights Cancer night during a game against the Vancouver Canucks Oct. 20, 2010, at the United Center in Chicago. (Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
From Calgary, Alberta, Murray topped 20 goals five times, but he also became known for his defensive play. In 1986, he became the Blackhawks’ first player to win the NHL’s Frank J. Selke Trophy, the award for the league’s top defensive forward.
Murray finished with 197 goals in 688 games over two stints with the Blackhawks and also played for the Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Overall, he had 230 goals in 915 career games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Not done yet: Khalil Mack agrees to contract extension with Chargers
Khalil Mack will continue to be a nuisance for opposing quarterbacks for at least one more season.
The Chargers edge rusher agreed to a contract extension with the team Saturday, the team announced. The deal is for one season and $18 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.
In 12 games last season, Mack, 35, had 5½ sacks and 32 tackles, playing a key role alongside Tuli Tuipulotu and Odafe Oweh in spearheading the Chargers’ pass rush and softening the blow of Joey Bosa’s exit from the unit.
Since joining the Chargers via a trade with the Chicago Bears in March 2022, Mack has recorded 36½ sacks and 195 tackles. The three-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl selection missed five games with a left elbow injury early in the season, but he was still a force on defense for the Chargers — even when his sack totals were at their lowest mark since his 2014 rookie season.
Mack’s greatest season with the Chargers — and arguably his NFL career — came in 2023 when he had a franchise-record 17 sacks and finished tied for second in the league with four strip-sacks. During the Chargers’ Week 4 win over Las Vegas that season, he recorded six sacks.
If Mack’s decision seems familiar, that’s because it is. Last year, he didn’t re-sign with the Chargers until just before the start of free agency as he mulled whether to return or retire. He was persuaded with a one-year, $18-million deal similar to the one he agreed to Saturday.
Mack is a proven Hall of Fame-caliber pass rusher, but he still hasn’t been part of a playoff win. He’s 0-6 in the playoffs and the Chargers’ disheartening loss to the New England Patriots in the wild-card playoffs probably gave him plenty of reasons to think about his future.
With Mack under contract, re-signing Oweh becomes a clear priority for Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz ahead of the free-agent negotiation period beginning Monday.
Oweh had a breakout season in the aftermath of his midseason trade from Baltimore and is considered one of the top defensive players set to be available in free agency. Oweh had 7½ sacks and 28 tackles in 12 games with the Chargers.
With Jesse Minter leaving L.A. to become the head coach of the Ravens, Mack will be working under new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary next season. If Mack can stay healthy, he’ll likely continue to be a valuable contributor to the Chargers’ pass-rushing threat.
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Kyle Pitts blasts ‘fake emotion’ from NFL players who skipped Rondale Moore’s celebration of life
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Atlanta Falcons star Kyle Pitts called out the former teammates of Rondale Moore, who tragically died last month from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, after he said only a handful of them showed up to his celebration of life services on Friday.
Moore, 25, was found dead in the garage of his Indiana home on Feb. 21. Police said at the time that the former NFL receiver died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. News of Moore’s death prompted an outpouring of support from around the league and from those who knew Moore.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Dec. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
But Pitts, who became close with Moore after he was traded to the Falcons in 2024, called out what he called the “fake emotion” that was displayed in the wake of Moore’s passing.
“Crazy how only about 6 maybe 7 of your teammates in the NFL showed up for you today smfh,” he wrote in a post shared to his Instagram Stories. “All that talk and fake emotion and nobody want to show up to lay you to rest.. Just at a loss of words.
“Be woke on who your ‘brothers’ really are, who really rock with you all areas of life not just in front of cameras or the public,” he continued, adding “Folks just want to throw up a post and not mean it but we ball yb as Kur said, ‘it might hurt a little’ but we ball.”
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) in action during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 31, 2023. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports)
Moore was a standout football player in college for Purdue. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played three seasons in Arizona from 2021 to 2023. He was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 but suffered a season-ending injury.
He joined the Minnesota Vikings in March 2025 and suffered a season-ending injury in a preseason game.
Pitts shared an emotional post about Moore on social media after learning of his death.
“This can’t be real dawg,” he wrote after sharing a carousel of photos on Instagram. “I’m really sitting here crying on even what to say or think bruh.”
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Dec. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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“We literally was just on the phone yesterday morning. I’m so hurt dawg, I’d never thought I’d be making this type of post let alone it be about you! Rondale, you’re truly aqt peace now watching over us but I wish you didn’t leave us man. I love you dawg and 4 is going to live on forever.”
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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