Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens appear to be firmly on the same page with long-term contract discussions looming.
Jackson made clear Wednesday that his intention is to remain with the Ravens for his whole career, and he wants to get a deal done “pretty soon.”
“I would love to be here forever,” Jackson said. “I love Baltimore. I love the whole organization. I love everybody in the building. But hopefully we’ll be making something happen pretty soon.”
There’s no real surprise here. The Ravens have built their offense around Jackson, and the organization sounds as devoted to keeping him as he is to them. That’s no surprise — he’s 24 and has an MVP award to his name. While he has yet to completely break through in the playoffs, there’s certainly a level of confidence that it’s only a matter of time.
Wednesday’s announcement of the latest installment of “The Match” prompted some hilarious trash talk, and even those who aren’t taking part are getting involved.
The leading trash talker so far has been Tom Brady, who will partner with Phil Mickelson to take on Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau in July. Brady made heavy use of a meme featuring DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka to troll his opponents. This prompted a hilarious response from Koepka, who kept it simple.
Is Koepka apologizing for Rodgers having to play with Brady? Or is this a shot at his noted rival? You decide.
Brady’s trash talk, at the very least, is nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe Rodgers will have some kind of response, though he seems to be occupied elsewhere right now.
Tua Tagovailoa has made significant strides toward working more closely with his teammates, according to his coach.
Brian Flores revealed that the Miami Dolphins quarterback has been organizing practices with his wide receivers during the offseason, and that Tagovailoa has also improved his own practice habits while growing closer to his teammates.
This is welcome news, especially considering there have been rumblings that Tagovailoa didn’t win over all of his teammates in 2020. It sounds like the second-year quarterback has been doing a lot of work on his own as well to take a step forward.
The 23-year-old quarterback threw for 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in his rookie year. Flores had a somewhat odd way of handling him but that may well be in the past going forward.
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The Boston Celtics have barely put up a fight in the first two games of their playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, but that didn’t stop Evan Fournier from verbally trashing Kevin Durant on Tuesday night.
With the Celtics trailing 98-74 in the third quarter, Fournier was called for a foul and had words for Durant after the play. Durant looked like he wanted to walk away at first, but he quickly turned around when Fournier kept jawing at him. The Celtics guard then clearly called Durant a “b-tch” before the two were separated.
Here’s the video:
It’s unclear what sparked the exchange, but there are two ways of looking at it. Some say Fournier shouldn’t be running his mouth with his team down more than 20 points and about to drop the first two games of a playoff series. Others would argue that it was nice to see someone on the Boston side at least showing some fight.
Durant has a reputation for letting trash talk bother him, so perhaps Fournier was trying to get under his skin. Although, it may be too late for that at this point.
Tom Brady is once again partnering with Phil Mickelson in this year’s installment of “The Match,” and the seven-time Super Bowl champion has wasted no time talking serious trash to his opponents.
Turner Sports announced on Wednesday that Brady and Mickelson will face Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau on July 6 at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Mont. Not long after the news was released, Brady got to work trolling Rodgers and DeChambeau. He did not hold back.
That, of course, is a reference to the Green Bay Packers kicking a field goal late in their playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. They were down 8 (Brady said 7) with just over two minutes left and facing 4th and goal from the Tampa Bay 8-yard line. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opted to kick a field goal and hope his team got the ball back, which it never did.
Brady also took aim at DeChambeau using the same meme.
He didn’t really have to do that, as the meme itself mocks DeChambeau in a way. It was born this week when a video went viral that showed just how much Brooks Koepka hates DeChambeau.
Lastly, Brady acknowledged how annoyed Rodgers and DeChambeau must already be with his trash talk.
We have a feeling Rodgers won’t be bothered. He was already trolled over the field goal decision when he hosted “Jeopardy!” earlier this year, and the reigning NFL MVP took it in stride. You can see that video here.
Brady is doing his best to make sure “The Match” is just as entertaining this year as it has been in the past.
Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson lost to Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning in “The Match” last year, but the duo will get another chance to prove their worth against new opponents in July.
Turner Sports announced on Wednesday that there will be a fourth edition of “The Match” played on July 6 at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Mont. Brady and Mickelson will face off against Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau.
“The Match” has been wildly popular since Mickelson and Tiger Woods faced one another back in 2018. The event returned last May when Mickelson and Brady faced Woods and Manning and raised over $20 million for charity during the pandemic. Then in November, Mickelson partnered with Charles Barkley to defeat Manning and Stephen Curry.
Brady has already begun talking trash ahead of the July showdown.
Golf fans were probably hoping Brooks Koepka would be involved given how much him and DeChambeau hate each other, but this year’s match should be plenty entertaining.
Brady embarrassed himself in many ways during “The Match” last year, so he should be extremely motivated to turn things around. Between that and Mickelson coming off a huge win at the PGA Championship, we like their chances against DeChambeau and Rodgers.
Shannon Sharpe delivered a major scoop earlier this week when he got Julio Jones to admit live on the air that the star wide receiver wants the Atlanta Falcons to trade him. The big question is whether or not Jones knew he was on the air. If he didn’t, Sharpe may have technically broken the law.
Sharpe called Jones during FS1’s “UNDISPUTED” on Monday and asked him if he wants to remain with the Falcons. The Pro Bowler, who was on speakerphone, emphatically said, “I’m outta there man.” That was his first public admission that he wants a trade. You can see the video here.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, Sharpe’s on-air exchange with Jones has caused issues between FOX and the NFL. The Falcons were also blindsided, and Jones’ representatives at Creative Artists Agency have reached out to the network about the situation. One source told FOS that it has “become a huge deal.”
There is also a legal element to what transpired. As FOS notes, “UNDISPUTED” is produced at the FOX Sports studio in Los Angeles. California is a two-party consent state, which means you cannot record or air a conversation like the one Sharpe and Jones had unless both parties agree to it. Sharpe could, in theory, be charged with a misdemeanor under California Penal Code Sec. 632, which carries up to a $2,000 fine and/or a year in jail.
Jones would have to file a complaint in order for Sharpe to be charged. That has not happened and it is highly unlikely that it will.
If Sharpe did not inform Jones that he was on the air, it would be the second major flub for the host in the past month or so. He also recently embarrassed himself when he used a fake quote in an attempt to call out Kevin Durant.
Aaron Rodgers was not present for the start of the latest phase of organized team activities with the Green Bay Packers this week, and we now have confirmation that he is nowhere near the state of Wisconsin. The reigning NFL MVP has been vacationing in Hawaii, and he appears to be having the time of his life.
Rodgers and his fiancee Shailene Woodley have been spending time in Hawaii with actor Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh. Mrs. Teller shared several photos and videos on Instagram of the foursome hiking and adventuring together.
Rodgers even showed how much of a big Taylor Swift fan he is at one point:
Rodgers is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He threw for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions. We have little doubt he will be ready for the start of the season, regardless of how much time he spends hiking around Hawaii instead of working out with his teammates.
Of course, that assumes Rodgers intends to play in 2021. The 37-year-old confirmed in an interview this week that he is at odds with the Packers. There have been reports that he wants the team to make at least one major change before he will consider returning, but the Packers are unwilling to accommodate that.
Rodgers may eventually tell fans in Green Bay to R-E-L-A-X, but you can certainly understand why they’re on edge at the moment.
Jennifer Lopez has quickly moved on from Alex Rodriguez and gotten back together with one of her exes, and there have been rumblings that A-Rod is devastated by the breakup. Not so, says the former MLB slugger.
Rodriguez told fans in his Instagram story on Sunday that he is entering a “new beginning” of his life.
“I am about to step into a new beginning in my life,” Rodriguez wrote, according to Page Six. “Anything that doesn’t serve me is clearing out of my life. New energy is emerging. New levels are unlocking for me mentally, physically, and spiritually.
“I am remaining patient and know that this new phase of my life is coming.”
Page Six previously spoke with a source close to Rodriguez who said A-Rod is “doing fine” despite reports of him being heartbroken. The 45-year-old recently purchased a stake in the Minnesota Timberwolves and is focusing on his family new business ventures.
Lopez and Ben Affleck have been spotted hanging out numerous times since J-Lo and A-Rod announced they have called off their engagement. It’s even possible that J-Lo and Affleck were together before Lopez and Rodriguez split.
J-Lo and Affleck previously dated nearly two decades ago and were engaged in 2002.
Rodriguez recently slid into the DMs of a TV host, so perhaps he is already looking to move on with his love life. Either way, he insists he is in a good place mentally.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been placed in a difficult situation this offseason, as he is still with the San Francisco 49ers despite them admitting they do not view him as their quarterback of the future. Some players would sulk under those circumstances, but Garoppolo insists he is only focusing on what he can control.
Garoppolo was asked on Tuesday what he was thinking when the 49ers completed a blockbuster trade to move up to No. 3 in the draft. He admitted there were “a million emotions,” but he said he was able to quickly move forward.
“You think of all the possible scenarios and things like that,” Garoppolo said, via Mike Giardi of NFL Network. “But, at the end of the day I want to play football. I want to go out there and win games. It’s what I do. It wasn’t anything too crazy. It just took a while to process everything. But, once I did, it was just, ‘Go out there and ball.’ You just gotta attack it. The NFL is a crazy business. Things happen, but you just gotta attack it day by day and make the best of it.”
Garoppolo was then asked whether he believes he can alter the Niners’ plans if he plays his best. He said he has enough to worry about to prepare for the season without thinking about all that.
“It’s one of those things, the situation is what it is. It’s not changing,” he said. “So you just try to make the best of it. The way I do that is I try to attack each day and just put my best foot forward.”
Niners general manager John Lynch has maintained that Garoppolo is an important part of the team’s plans. He even left the door open for Garoppolo to be San Francisco’s long-term quarterback instead of Trey Lance, though that seems highly unlikely.
Lance is a raw prospect, so the Niners’ plan is seemingly to have him sit for a while behind Garoppolo. Jimmy G. had a nice gesture for the rookie after the draft. Thus far, Garoppolo has handled the situation as well as the 49ers could hope for.
