Manning to return for 18th NFL season
Hold that gold watch. Peyton Manning is taking one more shot at the silver trophy.
Weeks of speculation about the five-time MVP’s future ended Wednesday with word that he’s returning for an 18th season in the NFL and fourth in Denver.
A person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that Manning will take a $4-million pay cut, from $19 million to $15 million, but that he can make it all back through performance incentives. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement of the deal.
Manning, who is still scheduled to make $19 million in 2016 in the final season of the five-year contract he signed in 2012, will take his physical and sign his revised contract Thursday.
Manning mulled retirement after the Broncos’ playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. But he determined he still had the health and hunger to keep playing at age 39.
The Minnesota Vikings have made an in-person pitch to Adrian Peterson , the latest step toward resolving the star running back’s unclear status.
Whether it’s keeping him or turning to a trade, the Vikings will probably make up their minds soon about whether he will continue his NFL career in Minnesota.
General Manager Rick Spielman and Coach Mike Z immer spent about four hours Wednesday afternoon at Peterson’s home north of Houston.
It was the first time they’ve had with Peterson since he was placed on paid leave in mid-September following his indictment in a child abuse case involving his 4-year-old son that was resolved with a plea bargain.
“I appreciate Rick and Coach Zimmer coming down to see me today,” Peterson said in a statement. “We had a great dialogue and they were able to understand where I was coming from and concerns my family and I still have. We respect each other and hopefully the situation can pan out so that everyone involved is content.”
The Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills agreed on a trade Wednesday that will send quarterback Matt Cassel to the Bills next week and give the Vikings extra draft picks.
The Bills are sending two undisclosed draft choices to the Vikings and getting one undisclosed pick in the deal announced six days before NFL transactions can begin with the start of the new league year.
The trade can’t be completed until then, but the announcement wouldn’t have been made if there were any potential roadblocks pending for the deal.
The trade underscores the Vikings’ confidence in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater , the first-round draft pick who took over as the starter in the third game of last season after Cassel broke his left foot.
The Dallas Cowboys resigned restricted free-agent Cole Beasley after the receiver emerged as a threat in the slot last season for Tony Romo .
Beasley signed a fouryear contract reportedly worth about $14 million, with $7 million guaranteed.
A diversity report released Wednesday on college sports has issued its lowest grade for racial and gender hiring practices in its nearly two-decade history.
The report card from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport says NCAA member schools are hiring fewer women and minorities for sports jobs, while the scores for hiring women in particular have dipped significantly the last two years.
The combined overall grade for college sports in 2014 was a C with 74 points, down from a C-plus and 79.1 points in 2013, the lowest combined score since the first report released in 1997 examined data from 1995 and 1996, said Richard Lapchick , director of the University of Central Florida-based institute.
The new flat-seam ball in college baseball is having the desired effect, with teams hitting 40% more home runs so far this season.