After nearly three decades of playing in Maryland, the Washington Commanders have the green light to build a new $3.7 billion stadium in D.C. that should bring them back to the nation’s capital by 2030.

The D.C. Council voted 9-3 on Friday to ratify the deal between the city and the NFL team. The site of the new 174-acre complex will be the same as RFK Stadium, which remains in place even though the team moved out prior to the 1997 season.

“This is a historic moment,” Commanders managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “This project is about more than delivering a world-class stadium worthy of our players, fans and the region. It’s about revitalizing a critical part of our city, creating thousands of jobs and unlocking long-term economic benefits for the District. We look forward to working with our fans, residents, community leaders and elected officials to deliver on this vision.”

The franchise enjoyed its finest years at the RFK site, which opened in 1961 as District of Columbia Stadium. During the team’s 36 seasons at RFK, it won Super Bowls VII, XXII and XXVI while appearing in two more and earning eight other playoff appearances.

Since former owner Dan Snyder moved the team to now-Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., in 1997, Washington has amassed just seven playoff appearances in 28 years. Last season’s run to the NFC title game was the Commanders’ first push past the divisional round since 1991.

Snyder’s decision to sell his team in 2022 – a move encouraged by the NFL – helped pave the way for the franchise’s return to D.C. In addition, Harris indicated his willingness to foot more of the bill than most owners.

According to details of the deal, the Commanders are expected to handle $2.7 billion of the stadium’s cost along with any overruns. The District of Columbia will pay $1 billion, but much of that is expected to be recouped over the long haul in taxes and other revenue streams.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett returned to practice on Friday, but was limited to individual drills while dealing with a hamstring injury.

Pickett, one of four players in the Cleveland QB competition, tweaked his hamstring Saturday and had been considered day-to-day by head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Veteran Joe Flacco took over most of the first-team reps this week in Pickett’s absence. In addition to Pickett and the 40-year-old Flacco, rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are in the quarterback mix as Cleveland seeks to replace the injured Deshaun Watson.

Pickett, 27, was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade during the offseason.

He lost his starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2023 season. The team moved on from Pickett before the 2024 campaign, trading him to the Eagles to be a backup to Jalen Hurts.

Pickett is 15-10 as a starter and has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 4,765 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 30 games.

–Field Level Media

ESPN has reached a deal with the NFL to purchase RedZone, NFL Network and other league holdings, The Athletic reported on Friday.

The NFL will receive equity in ESPN that “is potentially worth billions” in exchange, according to the report. An official announcement is expected next week, ending a four-year period of complicated, on-and-off negotiations.

Both sides declined to provide comment to The Athletic.

In addition to RedZone and NFL Network, ESPN will gain access to seven more regular-season games and the NFL’s fantasy football operations, as well as the potential to integrate sports betting and other special features.

The NFL’s equity stake in ESPN could be as much as 10 percent, CNBC first reported and The Athletic confirmed.

An ESPN-NFL deal would require regulatory approval, a process that could take up to a year to complete.

The two sides already have a cozy relationship. ESPN pays the NFL about $2.7 billion per year to air a total of 25 games, including “Monday Night Football.” The network also holds the rights to the Super Bowls in 2027 and 2031.

Friday’s reported agreement comes as ESPN is preparing to launch its direct-to-consumer service, with subscribers paying $29.99 per month to bypass cable and satellite providers to view all of the network’s programming through the ESPN app.

–Field Level Media

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy returned to practice Friday after further evaluation revealed he did not sustain a concussion, coach Andy Reid said.

Worthy’s head hit the ground during training camp practice on Tuesday, and he was placed in concussion protocol the next day. Reid said the diagnosis changed after additional testing on Thursday.

His return was welcome news for the Chiefs with fellow wide receivers Hollywood Brown (ankle) and Skyy Moore (hamstring) still sidelined on Friday.

Worthy, 22, had 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns and also rushed for three TDs in 17 games (13 starts) last season after being selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The rookie added three touchdown receptions in the playoffs, including two in the second half of the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

The Chiefs open the preseason at Arizona on Aug. 9 and kick off the regular season against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 5.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Bears will honor late team owner Virginia Halas McCaskey with a jersey patch this season and late Hall of Fame defensive tackle Steve McMichael with a football-shaped helmet decal.

McCaskey, owner of the Bears for more than 40 years, died on Feb. 2 at the age of 102.

She will have her initials displayed on the left breastplate of the Bears jersey. The patch is nearly identical to the design worn by the 1983 club when her Hall of Fame father George Halas died.

Paying tribute to two legends on our uniforms this year ??

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 1, 2025

She assumed ownership upon his death on Oct. 31, 1983. Her son, George, has run the franchise since he became chairman in 2011.

“We thought it would be appropriate if her patch mirrored her dad’s from 1983,” George McCaskey said. “So it’s the same size, the same color combination. The only thing that’s different, of course, is the initials. We thought that was the right thing to do.”

McMichael died on April 23 after a long battle with ALS. He was 67.

The Bears will honor McMichael by wearing a decal of his No. 76 on their helmets. The team also will honor the Super Bowl XX champion team with a logo on the grass at Soldier Field.

“We wanted to have the decal, and we’ll also have a field stencil at every home game this season,” George McCaskey said. “This is the 40th anniversary of our Super Bowl team, so we want to properly acknowledge and honor Steve at that celebration.”

A two-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, McMichael enjoyed a 15-year career in the NFL as a defensive lineman. Originally selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1980 NFL Draft, McMichael spent the next 13 years in Chicago, where he rose to stardom, becoming a regular starter in 1983.

–Field Level Media

New York Jets star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will be out one to two weeks with a strained left calf, head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed Friday.

The three-time Pro Bowler sustained the injury during positional drills Thursday and did not participate in Friday’s training camp session at Florham Park, N.J.

“We want to make sure this player is going to be good,” Glenn said. “We know what he’s all about. We know what he can do. And listen, we want to hold him out and we’ll see how that goes.”

Williams, 27, started 16 games last season and contributed 37 tackles, 18 quarterback hits and 6.0 sacks.

Glenn said sidelining Williams is “precautionary” and noted that he missed one game in 2022 with a calf injury.

“He understands exactly how you have to operate and make sure he goes through the process of getting healed,” Glenn said. “He’ll be just fine.”

Williams earned All-Pro first-team honors in 2022 and signed a four-year, $96 million extension ahead of the 2023 season.

He has 39.0 sacks, 98 QB hits, 290 tackles, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception in 90 games (86 starts) since New York drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2019.

The Jets’ first preseason game is Aug. 9 at Green Bay. They open the regular season at home against their former quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 7.

–Field Level Media

Superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons requested a trade on Friday, declaring on social media that “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”

Parsons, 26, has not been taking part in on-field activities at training camp while seeking a long-term extension that would make him one of the league’s highest-paid defensive players.

The Athletic reported earlier Friday that the team and the two-time All-Pro are still “far apart” with their contract numbers.

Of course, Parsons could be bluffing to force the Cowboys’ hand, but the language in his lengthy post Friday on X clearly communicated his frustration.

“Yes I wanted to be here. I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboys and wear the star on my helmet,” Parsons wrote.

“… Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.”

Parsons said his attempts to discuss an extension started after the 2023 season but have repeatedly been met by “radio silence” from the Cowboys.

“Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract,” Parsons wrote. “Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years or anything else.

“Still I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.”

Parsons is scheduled to earn $24 million this season on his fifth-year option. The 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year has recorded double-digit sacks in each of his first four seasons and has watched the market for pass rushers explode.

Defensive end Myles Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Cleveland Browns. Maxx Crosby inked a three-year, $106.5 million extension with the Las Vegas Raiders. T.J. Watt’s extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers was for three years and $123 million. A Parsons extension likely would be in the same ballpark — or more.

Per The Athletic, Parsons and team owner Jerry Jones talked directly in the spring, and the Cowboys believe those conversations were negotiations with a deal for an extension in place. The Parsons’ camp instead portrayed the meetings as talks and not negotiations, and that the Cowboys have declined to negotiate with his agent because team officials believed an agreement already was in place.

Speaking in April at the NFL’s annual league meeting, Jones acknowledged his conversation with Parsons, saying the two spoke for “five or six hours” to work out a long-term extension.

“Most of the issues we are in agreement on. We discussed it all,” Jones said April 1. “But we obviously don’t have an agreement relative to the new contract.”

The Dallas Morning News reported in March that Parsons was seeking a record-setting $200 million contract extension that would make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Parsons recorded 12 sacks, 43 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games (all starts) last season.

A Pro Bowl selection in each of his first four seasons in the league, Parsons has totaled 256 tackles (63 for loss), 112 quarterback hits, 52.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 63 career games (all starts).

–Field Level Media