Offensive lineman Joe Thuney, Chiefs agree to five-year contract.

FOOTBALL Chiefs start line rebuild

The Kansas City Chiefs made their first big move to rebuild their offensive line Monday, agreeing with Joe Thuney on a five-year contract to provide a durable plug-and-play option at one of their interior positions. The agent for the former Patriots standout, Mike McCartney, tweeted the sides had agreed to the deal on the first day they could discuss contracts with free agents. The deal is worth $80 million and includes some incentives. The earliest it can become official is Wednesday, when free agency officially begins. Thuney, 28, was among the most coveted offensive linemen on the open market. He was a thirdround pick of New England in the 2016 draft, and he has started all 80 games over his first five seasons in the league. The Chiefs were more than $20 million over the salary cap a few weeks ago, but they wiped out most of it when they released left tackle Eric Fisher and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

Barrett, Gronk return

Linebacker Shaquil Barrett agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who aren’t wasting time doing whatever’s necessary to retain key components of their Super Bowl-winning roster. Later Monday, the Bucs resigned tight end Rob Gronkowski to a oneyear deal. Barrett has been one of the NFL’s top pass rushers over the past two seasons and earned $15.8 million in 2020, when he played under the franchise tag after leading the league with 19½ sacks in 2019. The 28-year-old’s new deal — facilitated by Tom Brady signing an extension that cleared $19 million in salary cap space — includes $36 million guaranteed, agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Monday. Gronkowski, who is coming off a season with 45 receptions for 623 yards and 7 touchdowns, will get $10 million on a one-year deal.

Raiders get pass rusher

The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to a two-year contract with edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue in a deal they hope fills the void created by the Khalil Mack trade in 2018. ESPN reported the deal is worth $26 million. The Raiders dealt Mack to Chicago three years ago, and Coach Jon Gruden has lamented how hard it is to find good pass rushers. The Raiders are last in the NFL with 66 sacks and 357 pressures, according to SportRadar. Ngakoue has been one of the more productive pass rushers in the NFL since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2016 with Jacksonville. He joins Derrick Thomas, Aaron Donald and DeMarcus Ware as the only players to record at least eight sacks in each of their first five seasons.

Browns add safety

A dependable playmaker for the Los Angeles Rams, safety John Johnson agreed Monday to sign a three-year, $33.75 million free agent contract with Cleveland, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. Johnson’s deal includes $24 million guaranteed. He’s been a starter with the Rams since his rookie season and was a co-captain and signal caller for the NFL’s No. 1 defense last season. Johnson’s interception in overtime against New Orleans during the 2018-19 NFC Championship Game sent the Rams to the Super Bowl. The 25-year-old will likely move into the starting strong safety spot for Cleveland’s secondary, which was decimated by injuries in 2020.

Patriots sign TE, WR

New England agreed to sign free agent tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Nelson Agholor on Monday. Smith, who was selected by the Titans in the third round of the 2017 draft, agreed Monday to a four-year, $50 million deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press. At 6-3, 250 pounds, Smith has been a consistent presence for Tennessee, appearing in 60 games with 53 starts over the past four years. His improvement has been steady, and he is coming off his best season with the Titans, catching 41 passes for 448 yards and 8 touchdowns. Agholor signed a two-year, $26 million contract. The former first-round draft pick of the Eagles is coming off his most productive season after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. He had a career-high 896 yards on 48 catches with 8 touchdowns last season.

BASKETBALL Hoosiers oust Miller

Archie Miller’s $10.3 million buyout was one of college basketball’s priciest. Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson decided keeping Miller would prove even more costly to the storied program. Dolson fired Miller on Monday, armed with enough cash from private donations to cover the buyout and ready to answer a fan base angered by four straight mediocre seasons. The Hoosiers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2016, haven’t been to the Elite Eight since 2002 and haven’t won a national championship since 1987 — the longest drought between titles in school history. Indiana has won just three Big Ten titles since 1993, and it’s now had five consecutive nonwinning seasons in Big Ten play for the first time since 1911-19. Miller was 67-58 with the Hoosiers and never made the NCAA Tournament. He also never beat rival Purdue, going 0-7.

DePaul fires Leitao

DePaul fired Coach Dave Leitao on Monday, six years into his second tenure in another effort to lift a once-proud program. The Blue Demons went 5-14 overall this season and finished last in the Big East for the fifth consecutive year at 2-13. DePaul beat Providence in the conference tournament before getting knocked out by Connecticut. Leitao, signed through the 2023-24 season, was 127-146 over nine years at DePaul. He is 212241 in 15 seasons as a college head coach, with stops at Northeastern and Virginia.

BASEBALL Braun mulls retirement

Ryan Braun said he’s strongly leaning toward retirement, but the Milwaukee Brewers’ All-time home run leader isn’t ready to make any decision regarding his future. Braun visited the Brewers’ spring training site Monday and said he hasn’t picked up a bat since the end of the 2020 season. The 2011 NL MVP became a free agent when the Brewers declined to exercise a $15 million mutual option in his contract last October. Last season, Braun batted a career-low .233 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI in 39 games while dealing with a back issue. He came on strong late in the season and had a .958 OPS in September. He ranks second among all Brewers in career RBI (1,154), extra-base hits (809), total bases (3,525) and doubles (408). He ranks third in runs (1,080), hits (1,963), triples (49), stolen bases (216) and walks.