Top-seeded Djokovic surprised by 123rd-ranked Nardi

Luca Nardi used a combination of poise and power to stun his boyhood idol and top-seeded Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win on Monday night in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Nardi, who's ranked No. 123, closed out his huge upset over the No. 1 player in the rankings with an ace. The 20-year-old from Italy dropped his racket and brought his hands to his face almost in disbelief before greeting Djokovic at the net.

To think, Nardi was nearly on his way home. He got into the field as a “lucky loser,” which is a player who stumbled on the final hurdle in qualifying but made it into the main draw as a replacement for an injured player who pulled out before the first round. In Nardi's case, he stepped in for No. 30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Using a combination of aggressiveness and finesse, Nardi had Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam singles champion he grew up watching, smiling and shaking his head at times in a mixture of surprise and shock.

Nardi was far from intimidated, either, answering Djokovic's

well-placed shots with wellplaced returns of his own.

Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff gave herself an early birthday present by beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third round. Gauff, who turns 20 on Wednesday, struggled early but found a way to hold her serve by saving 10 of 11 break points.

Cousins among stars on the move in free agency

to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the terms, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal can't be signed until Wednesday when the new league year begins.

Cousins, after six seasons with the Vikings, gets a $50 million signing bonus and his salaries for 2024 and 2025 are fully guaranteed.

The Falcons had a glaring need at quarterback after cycling through Desmond Ridder and Tyler Heinicke last season.

Cousins, 35, who has passed for 39,471 yards and 270 touchdowns over 12 NFL seasons, will have some promising young talent around him in Atlanta with running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, its first-round draft picks from each of the past three years.

Cousins is working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon in his right foot that sidelined him because of an injury for the first time in his career and limited him to eight games last season.

• The Green Bay Packers agreed to a deal with running back Josh Jacobs and released longtime running back Aaron Jones and All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari.

Jacobs was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 2019 and was given the franchise tag last season. He agreed to a re-worked deal with Las Vegas but wasn't able to reach a long-term deal with the Raiders.

He is coming off a down year, having rushed for a career-low 805 yards and six TDs in 13 games.

But the 26-year-old Jacobs was an All-Pro in 2022 when he led the NFL with 1,653 yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage.

In five seasons with the Raiders, Jacobs ranked third in franchise history with 5,545 yards rushing and 46 TDs. He also had 197 catches for 1,448 yards.

• The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to contracts with running back Saquon Barkley — long the face of the New York Giants — and former New York Jets defensive end Bryce Huff.

Barkley is set to sign a threeyear deal for $26 million guaranteed and $37.75 million overall, while Huff is getting a three-year deal for $51 million.

Barkley, 27, hit free agency after the Giants elected not to put a franchise tag on the second overall pick in the 2018 draft.

He played in 14 games last season, missing three because of a high ankle sprain. He ran for 962 yards and six touchdowns and had 41 catches, including four TDs.

Since joining the Giants, Barkley has run for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also has 288 catches for 2,100 yards and 12 TDs.

The San Francisco 49ers added needed help at pass rusher by agreeing to a two-year, $20 million contract with Leonard Floyd.

Floyd matched a career high with 101/2 sacks last season for Buffalo. He has 58 sacks in 121 games for Chicago, the Rams and Bills.

• The Kansas City Chiefs finalized a five-year, $158.75 million contract with Chris Jones, keeping the All-Pro tackle in the middle of their defensive line.

He will make $95 million guaranteed over the first three years.

• The Chicago Bears and Pro Bowl running back D'Andre Swift agreed to a three-year contract, reportedly worth $24 million, with $15.3 million guaranteed.

Acquired by Philadelphia in a draft-day trade with Detroit last year, Swift had his best season in 2023. He ran for a career-high 1,049 yards and five touchdowns.

• The Tennessee Titans are replacing four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry with Tony Pollard, who agreed to a $24 million, three-year contract.

The Cowboys declined to tag Pollard for a second straight year despite him running for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns. Pollard also had 55 receptions for 311 yards.

Pollard has 3,621 yards rushing in his career on 762 carries. He also has 176 receptions for 1,319 yards and five TDs.

• The New York Giants agreed to acquire edge rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. Burns is getting a five-year contract worth up to $150 million.

Burns, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, had 46 sacks in five seasons in Carolina.