Category: Football

Apr 20, 2026, 01:31 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

Free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is considering retirement, sources told NFL Network on Monday.

Garoppolo, 34, has spent the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, backing up quarterback Matthew Stafford, and was still considered the top option to fill that role for the 2026 season.

At the NFL’s annual meeting last month, coach Sean McVay said that the Rams were considering Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins for the role as Stafford’s backup. Cousins has since signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Garoppolo appeared

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Who are the NFL’s highest-paid players at every position?

We tracked the best-paid players at 16 different positions — including long-snapper — and will keep the numbers updated as more records get broken. To get the full picture on the top earners in this league, we sorted positions by two categories, which in a few cases have the same player at No. 1:

Three-year average (APY)

Total guaranteed money

Salary information courtesy of Roster Management System.

Let’s start the highest-paid quarterbacks:

Jump to a position:
QB | RB | WR | TE
OT | OG | OC | EDGE
DT | LB | CB | S
K |

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Apr 20, 2026, 12:25 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

Brandon Aubrey and the Dallas Cowboys reached agreement Monday on a deal that will make him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, his agents told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The four-year extension makes Aubrey the first kicker to earn $7 million per year and he receives $20 million guaranteed, agents Todd France and A.J. Stevens of Athletes First told Schefter.

Aubrey, who has been selected to the Pro Bowl each of his three seasons with the Cowboys, made 36 of his 42 field goal attempts (85.7%) last season.

He has made 88.2% of

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Nick WagonerApr 20, 2026, 09:31 AM ET

CloseNick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga.Open Extended Reactions

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Despite some

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Hallie GrossmanApr 20, 2026, 08:40 AM ET

CloseStaff Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from Penn State University. Covers college football and college basketball.Open Extended Reactions

THE VERDICT IS all but in, the coronation all but official.

Fernando Mendoza‘s presence here, in Indianapolis at the combine, is formality over function. It’s late February, two months to go until the 2026 NFL draft, but he has already done the fairytale, done the unthinkable, done the proving. There’s no throw he can make this week that could outdazzle the missile he launched to beat Penn State

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The 2026 NFL draft begins Thursday night in Pittsburgh, so it’s a good time to share some intel and insights from around the league.

Every draft has its surprises, and everyone will spend this week trying to figure out what will happen once Round 1 begins. A few days before the 2025 draft, this column suggested, “New [Jaguars] GM James Gladstone — who has 10 picks to work with, including four in the top 90 — might not be that predictable. As one league executive said recently: ‘Jacksonville is a wild card — watch.'”

Sure enough, moments after the Titans

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Jordan ReidApr 20, 2026, 06:20 AM ET

CloseJordan Reid is an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, providing in-depth scouting on the nation’s top pro prospects. Jordan joined ESPN in 2021 and also contributes to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. He played quarterback at North Carolina Central University and then went on to coach there from 2014-18.Open Extended Reactions

The 2026 NFL draft gets rolling Thursday from Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. ET (on ESPN/ABC/ESPN App), so it’s time for me to unveil my last mock draft, and every selection is accounted for.

That’s right, this seven-round mock draft features 257 prospects who I believe will

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Jordan Raanan

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Jordan Raanan

ESPN Staff WriterJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016., 

Jeremy Fowler

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Jeremy Fowler

senior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com., 

Ben Baby

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Ben Baby

ESPN Staff WriterBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019.

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Apr 19, 2026, 01:07 PM ET

Former Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who is widely expected to be a Day 2 NFL draft pick, was arrested early Sunday morning in Athens, Georgia, on two possible misdemeanor charges.

Branch is facing misdemeanor charges of obstructing public sidewalks/streets — prowling and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. According to the Athens Clarke County arrest log, he was booked at 1:26 a.m. and released at 3:44 a.m. after posting $39 bond.

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According to local media, Branch was in attendance for Georgia’s spring game Saturday. His brother, Zion Branch, is

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Ben BabyApr 19, 2026, 11:42 AM ET

CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American

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