Pierre-Paul traded to the Buccaneers
Sending two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two draft picks gives the New York Giants much-needed salary cap space for 2019 and allows the Buccaneers to continue rebuilding a line that had the fewest sacks in the NFL last season.
With the unexpected trade announced Thursday, the Giants took another step in their rebuilding under new general manager Dave Gettleman and the Buccaneers upgraded their defense in a bid to end a decadelong playoff drought.
The Giants will get Tampa Bay’s third-round pick (69th overall) in next month’s draft. The teams also will swap fourth-round picks, with the Buccaneers moving up to the 102nd pick and the Giants selecting 108th.
“Jason is an elite-level edge rusher who will make an immediate impact on our defense,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a story posted on the team’s website.
Frank Gore, the NFL’s active rushing leader, agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. Gore, who turns 35 next month, rushed for 961 yards with the Indianapolis Colts last season . ... Free-agent receiver Deonte Thompson signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Thompson joined the Cowboys after veteran linebacker Joe Thomas was added on a two-year deal that was the Cowboys’ first acquisition since NFL free agency opened last week . ... The Atlanta Falcons re-signed defensive end Derrick Shelby to a one-year contract . ... The Oakland Raiders resigned backup quarterback EJ Manuel.
Romo cards a 77
Tony Romo settled down after a nervous start, only to come undone on the back nine in his PGA Tour debut. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback played a four-hole stretch in five over on the back nine that led to a five-over 77 in the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. He was 14 shots behind Brice Garnett, who had a 63 to lead by one shot.
Romo, an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, received a sponsor’s exemption to the tournament, which has one of the weaker fields of the year because it is held opposite the World Golf Championships event in Texas. He is playing as an amateur.
Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed won their matches in the Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin, Texas, to set up a Friday showdown to determine who wins the group and advances to the weekend. Spieth was a winner over Li Haotong and Reed defeated Charl Schwartzel . ... Caroline Hedwall and Jackie Stoelting opened at six-under 66 to share the lead in the Kia Classic at Carlsbad while 54-year-old Laura Davies endured a nightmare round, shooting a 10-over 82 four days after tying for second in the Founders Cup.
Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard was suspended by the NBA for Thursday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after picking up his 16th technical foul this season. Howard picked up his most recent technical in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets, a game in which he scored 32 points and grabbed a franchise-record 30 rebounds, becoming only the eighth player in NBA history with a 30-30 game.
New York Mets right-hander Rafael Montero probably will sit out the season after suffering a torn ligament in his right elbow . ... Minor league baseball players who make as little as $5,500 a season would be stripped of the protection of federal minimum wage laws under a provision in government spending legislation expected to be approved by Congress this week. The provision appears to preempt a lawsuit filed four years ago by three players alleging that Major League Baseball and its teams violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime requirements for a work week they estimated at 50 to 60 hours.
Ryan Garcia (14-0, 13 knockouts) of Victorville knocked out Fernando Vargas (33-16-3) in the first round of a super-featherweight bout in Indio.
Jose Flores, who won 4,650 races and was considered among the best jockeys in Pennsylvania history, died of injuries suffered Monday in a racing accident. He was 56.
Top-ranked Simona Halep of Romania struggled to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 second-round win over France’s Oceane Dodin at the Miami Open.