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Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford return: 'Always an understanding'

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Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford return: 'Always an understanding'

Star quarterback Matthew Stafford is back in the fold. Star receiver Cooper Kupp remains a potential trade asset.

With one week before the start of NFL free agency, Rams coach Sean McVay is resting, if not resting easy, knowing Stafford will be leading his team for a fifth season.

“I’ve been sleeping better these last couple days,” McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters.

Stafford and the Rams agreed to a contract adjustment on Friday, ending several weeks of speculation about the 16-year veteran’s future. The Rams gave Stafford’s agent permission to speak with other teams about the parameters of a contract if Stafford was traded, but Stafford ultimately chose to remain with McVay and the Rams.

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“You want to make sure there’s good vibes going into it,” McVay said, “and we were able to check all of those boxes.”

It was the second year in a row that the Rams agreed to adjust the four-year extension that Stafford signed in 2022 after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title. In 2024, the Rams moved forward $5 million that Stafford was due to earn this season.

So there was “always an understanding,” McVay said, that there would be another adjustment this year, when Stafford was due to earn a below-market salary of $23 million.

Losing Stafford was “never something I thought would occur,” McVay said, later adding that the scenario was “never something that felt like ever got close, and it was never something that I allowed my mind to go to.”

And there was a positive, McVay said, noting that last year it took about seven months to resolve the situation, this year about three weeks.

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“So maybe it will be about two or three days next year if we have to do this,” he quipped.

McVay said his “hope and expectation” was that back-up Jimmy Garoppolo would return as well, but he acknowledged that the pending free agent would have other options.

The Rams’ decision to part ways with Kupp came to light on Feb. 3, when the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year posted to social media that the team informed him he would be traded.

“There hasn’t been a more challenging decision since I’ve been here,” McVay said, adding, “It’s about the big picture.”

The last two seasons, Puka Nacua displaced Kupp as the No. 1 receiver. Kupp is scheduled to earn about $20 million in salary and bonuses, according to overthecap.com.

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“You’re ultimately trying to put the puzzle together and with a lot of thought and consideration, we just felt like that was the best direction for our football team,” McVay said. “It doesn’t take away the love and respect and gratitude that you have for what he’s done. But it just came down to what we think is best in terms of putting together the whole puzzle.”

McVay said the Rams and Kupp’s agents have not discussed a contract restructure.

Asked if the door was completely closed on Kupp returning if no trade partner was found, McVay said, “I would never speak in absolutes.”

The Rams, however, will continue to look to replace Kupp through trades, free agency and the draft.

Last week, the Rams re-signed left tackle Alaric Jackson. When asked about pending free agents such as defensive lineman Bobby Brown III and outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, McVay indicated that general manager Les Snead was working to resolve situations before the NFL’s free-agent negotiating period begins Monday.

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Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee and veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein also will return, McVay said.

Higbee sat out the first 14 games last season while recovering from knee surgery and shoulder surgeries. Havenstein was sidelined six games because of injuries.

“Those guys are instrumental to our success,” McVay said, adding, “When those guys were on the football field for us, we were a different offense. And you could tangibly feel the difference.”

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever. 

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season. 

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries. 

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

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Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

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When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

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Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

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Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.

“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.

Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.

Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.

“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.

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He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.

“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”

It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.

Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

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Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

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Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.

McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.

A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.

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WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)

“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.

“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.

No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.

In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)

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Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.

McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.

He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”

“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”

Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)

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State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.

“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video. 

“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.

An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.

The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.

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After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”

Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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