Packers, Eagles set for Friday night opener in Brazil
Week 1 of the 2024 regular season will include an international affair between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, who were announced as the opponents for a Friday primetime matchup in Brazil.
The Eagles were selected for the first-ever game in South America — Sao Paulo at the Corinthians Arena on Sept. 6 — in February, but the Packers weren’t officially announced as their opponent until Wednesday.
It’s the first Friday night game on opening weekend in the NFL in more than 50 years.
Packers CEO Mark Murphy hinted Tuesday the decision could be coming.
“I think we’re either the first- or second-most popular team in Brazil,” Murphy said. “As we talked about, we’re kind of the peoples’ team. People really like the idea of a community-owned team, with our history and tradition.”
Five regular-season games are part of the NFL International Series in 2024. With the game in South America, the league will have held at least one preseason or regularseason game on five of seven continents.
Elsewhere: Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl pass rusher Josh Allen agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. The Jaguars put the franchise tag on the 26-year-old Allen in March, blocking him from free agency as head coach Doug Pederson said the two sides were fully committed to working together on a long-term agreement. Allen has played only with the Jaguars since he was selected seventh overall in 2019.
ETC.
NBA: Tests show that Milwaukee Bucks star
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s left Achilles tendon is fully intact, ESPN reported Wednesday morning. The two-time MVP exited Tuesday night’s 104-91 home victory against the Boston Celtics with a strained left calf. When he is ready to play is dependent upon how quickly that injury heals.
College football: Defensive tackle Bear Alexander plans to enter the transfer portal after one season with Southern California, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. A coveted interior defender, Alexander is ranked the No. 1 defensive tackle in the transfer portal this offseason by 247 Sports. He had 47 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2023. The former five-star Georgia recruit’s next stop will be his eighth program in seven years dating to his high school days. He played for the Bulldogs as a freshman before leaving for USC.
College basketball: Five-star recruit Jayden Quaintance, a consensus top-15 recruit in the Class of 2024, requested release from his letter of intent to Kentucky. He would be the second top recruit in the incoming class to decommit from Kentucky since head coach John Calipari’s exit for Arkansas, which became official on Wednesday. Extremely young for his grade, Quaintance is only 16 and was the top recruit in Kentucky’s class. Because of his age, Quaintance cannot enter the NBA draft until 2026 at the earliest . ... Kentucky plans to meet with Baylor’s
Scott Drew about its head coaching vacancy “in the near future,” CBS Sports reported Wednesday. Drew, 53, led Baylor to a national championship in 2020-21 and has guided the Bears to the NCAA Tournament 12 times in his 21 seasons with the program in Waco, Texas. ... Southern California freshman standout Isaiah Collier declared for the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday. The 19-yearold point guard told ESPN he will be represented by agent BJ Armstrong of Wasserman. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Collier is ranked 10th on ESPN’s list of the top 100 draft prospects. He averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 27 games (26 starts) for the Trojans in 2023-24, earning a spot on the Pac-12 all-freshman team. Collier was ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the Class of 2023 by ESPN. He was co-MVP of the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game and won the 2023 Naismith Prep Player of the Year award . ... Former Purdue starters Mason Gillis and Ethan Morton have entered the transfer portal, according to reports on Wednesday. The movement comes less than 48 hours after the Boilermakers lost to UConn in Monday’s national championship game. Gillis, a forward, has started 63 games at Purdue but was exclusively a bench performer this season. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 39 games and earned Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors. Morton, a guard, started 29 of 35 games during the 2022-23 season but had a sharply reduced role this season. He played just seven minutes total in Purdue’s run to the title game. Morton averaged 10 minutes per game while seeing action in 37 contests and averaged 0.6 points and 0.9 rebounds. ... Marquette guard Tyler Kolek announced Wednesday that he’s forgoing his final year of eligibility and turning pro. The 6-foot-3 Kolek is projected as a late firstround pick in June’s NBA draft. Kolek led Marquette (27-10) to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. The Golden Eagles lost in a Sweet 16 game to upstart NC State . ... Green Bay coach Kevin Borseth announced his retirement on Wednesday after winning 821 games during 37 seasons as a head coach. Borseth, who turns 70 in June, ranks 19th all-time in women’s college basketball wins and 16th in Division I victories (596), according to the school. His overall record was 821-316, including 596218 in Division I games. He coached at Division II Michigan Tech (1987-98), Michigan (2007-12) and had two stints at Green Bay (1998-2007, 2012-24). ... Indiana State is finalizing a deal with interim head coach Matthew Graves to become the permanent frontman for the Sycamores. Graves,
49, was the top assistant coach to Josh Schertz, who left last week to take the head coaching post at Saint Louis. Indiana State named Graves interim head coach on Saturday. Graves joined Schertz’s staff in March 2021. All five of Indiana State’s starters entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. The Sycamores missed the NCAA Tournament after losing to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game, but they received a No. 1 seed in the NIT. They won four games before falling 79-77 to Seton Hall in the title game.