• Struggling Tennessee get haul of picks for tackle

• Chicago are chasing first Super Bowl title since 1985

The Chicago Bears have acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday.

The Bears sent their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, along with a fourth-rounder in next year’s draft, to the Titans for Simmons and a fifth-round selection in 2028.

Quarterbacks in 2026 have a series of dazzling weapons at their disposal. We rank the best of the receivers in the NFL at the moment

NB: We have restricted the list below to players in their prime years, so excellent, older receivers such as Mike Evans and Davante Adams have been left out.

Research looked at prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 2,362 players who died in 2008-2023

A new study published on Wednesday estimates that about 75% of former NFL players who died over a 15-year period had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The research, published in Jama Network Open and conducted by a Boston-based team, examined the estimated prevalence of the degenerative brain disease among NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023. Researchers found that the estimated rate of CTE among these players was substantially higher than the rates observed in brain samples collected from the general population.

Research looked at prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 2,362 players who died in 2008-2023

A new study published on Wednesday estimates that about 75% of former NFL players who died over a 15-year period had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The research, published in Jama Network Open and conducted by a Boston-based team, examined the estimated prevalence of the degenerative brain disease among NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023. Researchers found that the estimated rate of CTE among these players was substantially higher than the rates observed in brain samples collected from the general population.

• Tucker was banned under NFL’s conduct policy

• Butker has missed five of 16 FG attempts this season

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed the former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad after Harrison Butker’s poor start to the season.

Tucker was widely considered one of the best kickers in NFL history until the Ravens released him in May 2025. The Ravens said his departure was a “football decision” after a slump in form, but the move came months after he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists. Tucker denied the allegations and never faced criminal charges but he served a 10-game NFL ban for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

When Stiggers’ father died, he dropped out of college to help his mother and 12 siblings. He thought his football dream had ended but made it in the end

Qwan’tez Stiggers had only been in college for a few days when his world fell apart. Seven months after the car crash that put him in a coma, Stiggers’ father died. Stiggers quit college and returned home to support his mother, Kwanna, and 12 siblings. It was a huge blow to the 18-year-old. His partner, Cheyenne, was also processing a tragedy after her teenage sister had been killed by a stray bullet. Over the last six years, Cheyenne and Qwan’tez have helped each other off the bottom of an emotional well.

Working as a delivery driver and washing trucks while his old teammates progressed in their football careers could have driven him off the rails. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I was envious but I wanted better for myself,” says Stiggers. “I had a child, was living with my wife – my girlfriend at the time – and got those late-night delivery jobs to pay the bills.

The rapper lends the NFL a veneer of credibility but is unlikely to push back on the establishment figures who run the league

On Monday the NFL named Jay-Z as the headliner for this season’s Super Bowl half-time show. His company, Roc Nation, produces the show under a 2019 deal reportedly worth $5m a year, and the agreement was extended for another five years in 2024. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said his one request when the partnership began was that Jay-Z “take the stage himself one day“.

Goodell’s wish makes total sense: Jay-Z is the perfect choice for the half-time show, and that’s not a compliment. The NFL wants a shill who can still pass for a rebel, and nobody in American music plays that part better than Jay-Z.