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Todd Archer
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys’ search for a backup quarterback to Dak Prescott has landed on Joe Milton III.
The Cowboys acquired Milton and a 2025 seventh-round pick (No. 217) from the New England Patriots for a 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 171) on Thursday.
Talks between the clubs started a few weeks ago and escalated this week during the NFL’s annual meeting at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Cowboys’ need for a backup rose after Cooper Rush signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens that guaranteed him $4.2 million. Earlier in free agency, the Cowboys targeted Jacoby Brissett, per sources, but he signed with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys were also looking at Drew Lock, who spent last year with the New York Giants.
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Jamison Hensley
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -= It looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. has waved the red flag in a short-lived trademark dispute with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The NASCAR legend announced Friday on social media that he has secured the right to use a stylized version of No. 8 and will abandon the original No. 8 logo used by Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports. This decision came two days after Jackson filed an opposition claim with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to stop Earnhardt from putting that JR Motorsports version of No. 8 on merchandising.
“We are looking forward to the remainder of an already successful season,” Earnhardt wrote on social media.
pic.twitter.com/uZWk8kPlcW
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 4, 2025
Jackson, who has worn No. 8 since his college days at Louisville, previously registered the trademark “ERA 8 by Lamar Jackson.” His filing had argued Earnhardt’s attempt to trademark that particular version of No. 8 would create confusion among consumers.
The trademark review for a challenge can take more than a year. If the U.S. Patent and Trademark appeal board would have denied Earnhardt, Jackson could have sued him if Earnhardt had used it for merchandising.
This isn’t the first time that Jackson has tried to stop another athlete from filing a trademark on this number. In July, Jackson challenged Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman’s attempt to use “EIGHT” on apparel and bags.
When asked about this dispute last summer, Jackson said, “We’re going to keep this about football. That’s outside noise. We’re sticking with [talking about training] camp, football, and that’s it.”
The NFL has announced dates for offseason workout programs for the 2025 league year.
Offseason programs are conducted in three phases: Phase One for meetings, strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation, Phase Two for individual and group drills, and Phase Three for organized team practice activity — commonly referred to as OTAs.
Contact is not permitted in Phases Two and Three, but teams are allowed to run 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills during OTAs.
Here are the dates for offseason workout programs for all 32 teams:
First day: April 22
OTA offseason workouts: May 28-30, June 3-5
Mandatory minicamp: June 10-12
First day: April 22
OTA offseason workouts: May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3, June 5
Mandatory minicamp: June 10-11
First day: April 21
OTA offseason workouts: May 27-29, June 3, June 5-6, June 9-12
Mandatory minicamp: June 17-19
First day: April 21
OTA offseason workouts: May 27-29, June 2-3, June 5
Mandatory minicamp: June 10-12
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Stephen Holder
PALM BEACH, Fla. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday said the idea of NFL players competing in flag football in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games has been a popular topic among the league’s players and suggested it was likely to happen.
“I’ve heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it’s United States or the country that they came from,” Goodell said as he wrapped up the NFL’s annual meeting.
Participation in the Olympics was among the topics of conversation with owners and league officials this week, multiple people told ESPN, as the NFL tries to work through the issues associated with players partaking in the Games.
Men’s and women’s flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028 and its addition to the Games comes, in part, because of the NFL’s full-throated support. Flag football is a key initiative for the NFL because the league sees it as a way of growing American football internationally.
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But there are issues that need to be addressed, including injury protections for teams and players, and the Olympics schedule, which might conflict with the start of NFL training camps in the late summer. The Games are scheduled for July 14-30, 2028.
“I think that’s something that we’ll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs,” Goodell said. “I think both of those are things that we’ll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days.”
Elsewhere, Goodell continued to defend the league’s stance on diversity in light of widespread pushback across the country against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
“We’re fully committed to continuing that work to try to develop better talent and give them that opportunity and make the NFL better ultimately,” Goodell said. “So, we’re all-in on that.”
Asked about the league’s current landscape that includes no Black offensive coordinators, Goodell said, “We have a lot of great offensive minds in the league — Black, white, and young women too, that are coming into this. So, there are only so many opportunities. So, that’s always a challenge. … But I think I’ve been very clear that we think diversity makes us better.”
Asked earlier about his stance on the Rooney Rule — which requires teams to interview underrepresented candidates for various roles, including head coach and general manager —